


i just wanna sing a love song (you can sing along with me)

by blackrose1002, BlackVultures



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Aftercare, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bathing/Washing, Blow Jobs, Bondage, Break Up Talk, Butt Plugs, Coming Out, Dirty Talk, Domestic Fluff, Drinking Games, Episode Related, Episode Tag, F/F, F/M, Face-Fucking, First Dates, First Kiss, First Time, Flogging, Hair-pulling, Hangover, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Kink Negotiation, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Matchmaking, Misunderstandings, Moving In Together, Mutual Pining, Name-Calling, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Pining, Praise Kink, Reunions, Spanking, Strength Kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:34:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 40,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29120556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose1002/pseuds/blackrose1002, https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackVultures/pseuds/BlackVultures
Summary: Jack said nothing for a moment, drumming a thumb against the steering wheel contemplatively. “We could totally set them up,” he suggested, and Mac choked on his own spit. “What? Riles likes Desi, doesn’t she?”“Yeah, but I don’t know if she likes her likethat,” Mac replied, running a hand through his hair. “Besides, if Desi even suspected what we were doing, we’d lose way more than one testicle.”“I’m not afraid of Desi,” Jack replied calmly, catching Mac off guard and making him stare at him with wide eyes. “What?” Jack’s voice turned amused when he saw the look on Mac’s face. “There are only a few things in the world that scare me, hoss. She ain’t one. Plus, she doesn’t have to find out.”(Tag/fix-it for 4x07, AKA Mac + Desi + Riley + Aubrey. Or the one where Jack comes back and he and Mac pine for each other while they try to set up Riley and Desi, who are also pining for each other.)
Relationships: Jack Dalton/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), James MacGyver/Matilda "Matty" Webber, Past Angus MacGyver/Desiree "Desi" Nguyen, Riley Davis/Desiree "Desi" Nguyen
Comments: 72
Kudos: 77





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! We're back yet again with a fic! We wrote this one not long after 4x07 aired last year, mostly because Riley's relationship with Aubrey - especially the way it ended - was so stilted and awkward that _something_ had to be done about it. Plus, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for some MacDalton. ;) **A few things to note: this is canon compliant up until 4x07, so assume Kovacs is a person and not an entity and neither Jack nor James is going to die. Also, while the boys engage in some ~*subterfuge*~ to push the girls together, they mean well.** There's nothing particularly dark about this fic but keep an eye on the tags, because they will change. Any mistakes are my own because I'm putting this one together, and let us know what you think! Enjoy! <3
> 
> (Title is from "T-Shirt" by Foo Fighters.)

Angus MacGyver had never been good at romance, and last night’s little disaster of a double date was the perfect example of why not. He wasn’t only incapable of shutting his work brain off, but... when he dropped Desi off at her apartment building last night, he’d watched her go with a sinking feeling in his stomach. Even though they’d kissed goodbye, he’d felt a tension in her body that meant nothing good, and his heart wasn’t in the gesture.

Now he sat in his truck in the exact same spot across the street, two coffees and a bag of pastries from Desi’s favorite bakery getting cool on the passenger’s seat... and he wondered how he was going to break up with her. The truth was that there was no easy way to do this and Mac was dreading it because... well, Desi was going to end up getting hurt and he never wanted that. But there was no denying they didn’t really work as a couple unless they were on a mission and running on adrenaline—the double date was a great example of that, it was _awful_ until the fighting and kicking ass started and prompted that brief make-out session before Riley texted him.

Mac sighed and decided that stalling wasn’t going to help the situation. He grabbed the food and got out of his truck, following a delivery guy inside without getting buzzed in. The elevator ride up to Desi’s floor felt like it took forever, and when he got to her door he took a deep breath before he knocked.

She answered a moment later, wearing one of his t-shirts and nothing else, a huge grin on her face... but it was strained around her eyes. “Mac! I was just about to text you.”

Mac watched her suspiciously for a few seconds, trying to figure out if she was acting weird because she knew why he was there... but then decided that wasn’t it. “Okay,” he said slowly, looking over her shoulder and glancing around the part of the apartment he could see. “Is everything alright? You seem... tense.”

“Everything’s fine,” Desi said, still smiling as she reached out to squeeze his shoulder. “But you should’ve brought three coffees.”

For a whacked-out second Mac thought that was her insane way of telling him she was pregnant, but at that moment the door to her bathroom opened... and Jack walked through it.

Mac managed to hold on to the coffees, but dropped the bag of pastries on the floor, frozen in shock and staring at Jack. He was pretty sure he looked like a deer caught in headlights, eyes wide and lips parted, but he couldn’t really think about that right now because... it was _Jack_. “J-Jack?” he whispered, his voice shaking just a bit. “What... what are you doing here?”

He was vaguely aware of Desi gently taking the coffee tray from his hands and setting it on the counter, but his gaze stayed fixed on Jack. He looked... _good_ , a full beard on his face and his hair grown out so it was a couple inches long. He’d bulked up too, adding at least ten pounds of muscle in addition to what he had, making the black t-shirt he wore tight across his chest. “Hey, Mac,” he said, and the sound of his voice after two years was enough to make Mac weak at the knees. “I called Riles when I got in, she said you’d probably be here.”

That was pretty much it for Mac’s self-control and before he knew what he was doing, he was lunging across Desi’s hallway and throwing his arms around Jack’s neck. Jack made a surprised noise and stumbled back a little from the impact, but he immediately hugged Mac back, his strong arms wrapping around his waist. And suddenly, just like that, nothing else mattered—the secret organization messing with his life, the weird situation with Desi, the complicated relationship with his dad—it all faded away because Jack was back and everything was always better with Jack.

Jack chuckled against his ear, and it might be Mac’s imagination but it almost seemed like he took a deep breath with his nose pressed into Mac’s hair. “I missed you, kid,” he murmured, giving him a squeeze.

“I missed you too,” Mac whispered, closing his eyes and just... feeling for a moment.

And _what_ he felt... was that same love for Jack that he’d held in his heart for years now.

It wasn’t surprising, not really—that ache in his heart was so familiar by now it was a part of him. When he and Desi got together for the first time, those feelings didn’t go away; Mac made sure to lock them up deep inside him, knowing there was no chance for him and Jack to ever have that kind of relationship, but he wasn’t able to just... fall _out_ of love with Jack. Nothing changed when he and Desi were broken up, or when they decided to try again... and Mac sometimes wondered if maybe that was part of the reason why they weren’t working. Sure, there were other things, but... there was no denying that Mac never allowed himself to get a hundred percent invested in their relationship, no matter how hard he tried.

By the same token, there was nothing that said anything was going to change between him and Jack now that he was back as much as Mac wished it would. He forced himself to pull back, smiling when Jack squeezed his shoulders and said, “Look at you, huh? When did you get all these muscles?”

“When I started kicking his ass in the gym,” Desi said, laughing when Mac shot her a dirty look. “What, it’s true!”

“It is true,” Mac admitted, still smiling... but the expression faded from his face when he remembered what he came here to do. “Uh, Jack? Do you think... could you give us a minute?”

Jack glanced between him and Desi, and Mac could swear there was something sad and wounded in his gaze... but then Jack blinked and it was gone. “Sure,” he said softly, squeezing his shoulders again. “I’ll be in the kitchen.” He gave Mac a small smile and then walked through the kitchen door, closing it behind him and leaving Mac alone with Desi.

“So...” she started, walking up closer and grabbing his hand. “What’s up? Not that I’m complaining, but I wasn’t expecting you this morning.”

Mac squeezed her fingers, trying to keep his shit together. “Dez... there’s something I’ve gotta tell you, and there isn’t a good way to do it.”

Her dark eyes searched his face for a moment, and she slowly let go of his hand. “You know, even when we were good together, I always felt like...” She trailed off, and to Mac’s surprise she didn’t sound angry, more like... resigned. “Like I was playing second fiddle to somebody. For a while I thought it was Riley, but... it’s Jack, isn’t it?”

Mac exhaled harshly through his nose, not seeing a point in denying it. “It... doesn’t matter,” he said quietly, his gaze shifting to the kitchen door for just a second before he looked away. “I was awake almost all night, thinking about what we talked about in the car... and I think we were both trying to lie to ourselves.” He sighed, forcing himself to meet Desi’s gaze. He didn’t address his feelings for Jack, because he was going to end things with Desi even before he knew Jack was back. “We... don’t work, Dez.”

Desi swallowed hard and nodded, a section of her black hair falling into her face. She pushed it away a moment later, blinking rapidly as she looked away from him for a moment. When she looked back, he was relieved to see that she hadn’t slipped her serious mask back on, which meant that he hadn’t totally ruined things. “If this is honesty hour, then I have to confess something,” Desi said, screwing up her mouth like she tasted something bad. “I’ve sort of... been pining after someone else too. But it’s never gonna happen.”

“Seriously?” Mac asked, raising his eyebrows, and the fact that he wasn’t bothered by that at all said everything about their relationship. “Who?” He made a face. “Please don’t tell me it’s Russ.”

“What?” Desi looked at him incredulously. “Are you out of your mind? Of course it’s not that idiot.”

“Okay...” Mac thought for a moment. “I doubt it’s my dad or Matty... Bozer?”

Desi rolled her eyes. “Bozer’s cute and all, but he’s not exactly my type.” She hesitated. “This is horrible timing considering we just went on a double date... but it’s Riley.”

Mac’s eyebrows went even higher because he somehow didn’t expect this _at all_. “Wow, seriously?” he asked, and then yelped when Desi punched his shoulder. “Ow, okay! I’m just surprised, that’s all.”

“Fine, I guess you have the right to be,” Desi grumbled before she pointed her finger at him. “This stays between you and me, you understand?”

“Totally,” Mac said quickly, not wanting to get hit again. He glanced at the kitchen door. “So... did Jack really come here because Riley told him I’d be here?”

“Hell no,” Desi replied, snorting out a laugh at the idea. “Well, I guess she did tell him that, but he came here first to grill me about watching your ass for the past two years. I was just getting through the Phoenix disbanding when you showed up.”

Mac couldn’t help but smile and he did his best to ignore the way his heart fluttered because this meant nothing. Jack was just being a... good friend, checking up on him, that was all. “Did you tell him about...” He hesitated and then gestured between them. “... us?”

“Not yet, but I think he figured it out,” between this—” She pointed at her outfit, “—and Riley telling him you’d be here.”

Much to Mac’s chagrin he felt himself blush, which caused Desi to punch his shoulder again. “Oh, relax, Dalton’s an adult... allegedly. It won’t be a big deal.”

“Sure,” Mac mumbled, clearing his throat to speak more loudly. “Jack? You can come back.”

Jack didn’t respond right away... and a moment later Mac smelled the unmistakable aroma of pancakes.

“He’s cooking,” Desi whispered, nudging him with her elbow. She picked up the bag of pastries and looks inside, making a face. “Which is probably a good thing, since you managed to destroy these.”

“I haven’t seen him in two years, I’m sorry for being surprised,” Mac muttered, but with no heat behind it. Not waiting for a reply, he headed to the kitchen and the smell of pancakes was even more intense when he opened the door. “Smells nice.”

The grin Jack gave him made him weak at the knees. “Been a while since I cooked, but I guess it’s like ridin’ a bike,” he said with a shrug before he raised an eyebrow. “Everything alright?”

Mac tried to smile back, but he knew it didn’t reach his eyes. “I broke up with Desi,” he said, and Jack’s other eyebrow rose to join the first. “It’s... a long story, but the short version is we make much better friends.”

“Even if we have fantastic sex,” Desi added, shouldering her way into the room. She grinned at Jack and wiggled her eyebrows. “We trashed a hotel room once.”

Mac felt his cheeks burn and he stifled a hysteric sound in the back of his throat. Jack’s eyes widened and he cleared his throat, suddenly focusing his gaze solely on the pancakes, and was it Mac’s imagination or did Jack look... uncomfortable? “Well, that’s way more information than I needed,” Jack retorted, and he sounded normal, but Mac couldn’t get that little observation out of his head. “Anyway, pancakes are almost ready. Could use some coffee though.”

“I think we can split up what Mac brought with him - I haven’t been shopping in a while.” Desi got down three mugs from a cabinet, and since they all took it black it was easy to pour the coffee out of the to-go cups equally. They took the mugs and the pancakes outside to Desi’s balcony, which had a nice view of her neighborhood. “So where was I in my dramatic retelling of all the shit you missed? Oh yeah, I was working as a bouncer, and Mac was playing professor over at UCLA.”

“Whoa, I would’ve loved to see that,” Jack commented, looking at Mac curiously. “Not Desi being a bouncer, that’s easy to imagine—lots of ass kicking,” he chuckled when she stuck her tongue at him and... that was an interesting dynamic. Somehow Mac never wondered what Desi’s relationship with Jack was. “But you teachin’, hoss. How did that go? Bet your brain got bored of it after one week.”

“Try one day,” Mac retorted, grinning as he took a sip of his coffee. “It would’ve been okay if the students had given a shit... but they just _didn’t_.” He hesitated, glancing at Desi for a moment before meeting Jack’s eye again. “So when Russ Taylor came along and bought the Phoenix, I remembered what you told me about him, but we all sort of jumped at the chance to go back to work.”

Jack stilled completely, as if time suddenly stopped, freezing everything and everyone. “What?” he asked a moment later, his voice dark and ice cold, which meant that Desi didn’t break the news earlier and it also didn’t reach Jack via other channels. “ _The_ Russ Taylor, Spearhead Operations Russ Taylor bought the Phoenix... and you _agreed_ to work for him?”

“We didn’t really have a choice,” Mac said, and when disbelief crept into Jack’s face he held up a hand. “Let me finish? We were all miserable at our day jobs—even Bozer, because when it came down to it directing wasn’t as glamorous as he thought it would be. Russ offered us an opportunity... and for whatever it’s worth, I think he’s trying to change.” He smiled ruefully. “Is he good at it? Hell no. But he’s doing what he can.”

Jack stared at him for a moment, his eyes searching his face, and then he nodded. “Fine,” he muttered. “Just don’t expect me to get along with him... or trust him, and we’re golden.”

“Sounds fair,” Mac agreed, inwardly pleased that even though it’d been two years Jack still trusted him enough to just... accept the new situation at the Phoenix.

“So what’s your deal with Taylor?” Desi asked Jack, and Mac startled a little—he might have forgotten she was there. “Sounds like you’ve got history.”

“That’s... putting it mildly,” Jack muttered, setting his empty mug aside. “Let’s just say I don’t think he’s gonna offer me my job back.”

At that moment Mac’s phone rang, startling all of them. He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the screen, then answered. “Hey, Russ. What’s up?”

“Put Dalton on,” was Russ’s curt response. When Mac didn’t say anything or move to do so, he heaved a sigh. “Matty was quite insistent that as soon as Dalton returned to the US I was to offer him his job back. If I don’t do it in a timely manner, apparently I can expect to lose a testicle—now let me talk to the man.”

Mac’s eyes widened and he was unable to hold back a smile. “That’s for you,” he told Jack, holding the phone out to him.

After a second Jack took it. “Dalton,” he said, and a moment later his eyebrows raise as he listened to Russ talk. The corner of his mouth twitched, so Mac assumed Russ was telling him about Matty’s threat, and damn, he loved this woman. “Yeah, Taylor, I accept,” Jack said after a moment, and Mac grinned widely, too happy to be embarrassed about it. He hung up a moment later and Jack gave Mac his phone back before smiling. “So I’m guessin’ Matty still runs the show and terrifies everyone?”

“Absolutely,” Desi said around a mouthful of pancakes. “Taylor likes to pretend he’s in charge sometimes, but she always puts him in his place.”

“What about your dad?” Jack asked, looking at Mac.

“He’s looking for Mason,” Mac said, sighing before biting into a slice of bacon. “We... haven’t been on great terms lately. Not after what happened with Charlie.”

“Desi told me,” Jack murmured, and reached across the table to squeeze Mac’s wrist. “I’m sorry, man. He was a good friend.”

Mac looked into Jack’s eyes, dark and warm, and god, he missed him _so much_. “Yeah, he was,” he said softly, and then forced himself to concentrate, because if he didn’t get it together he was going to do something stupid. He was out of practice when it came to hiding his feelings from Jack and the last thing he needed was to accidentally blurt out he loved him. “So I guess that’s... pretty much everything?” he said a moment later. “We’re back at the Phoenix now, saving the world just like always... oh well, there’s this secret organization trying to destroy everything, I guess that’s worth mentioning.”

He and Desi took a moment to explain Codex to Jack, who listened with total focus before shaking his head. “You know... I’d like to say that’s surprising, but it’s really not,” he said as they started gathering up their dishes. “Guess I’m just glad we got Kovacs when we did so I’m back to help.”

“We’re all glad for that,” Desi said, smiling as she hip checked him. “Now get out of here, both of you. It’s our day off, go do something fun.”

“You sure?” Mac asked, looking at her with concern. She _seemed_ fine, but the last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt her.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Desi said with a roll of her eyes... but Mac caught a flash of sadness in them that she tried hard to conceal. “Now leave before I toss you off the balcony.”

“Fine, fine,” Mac agreed, knowing all too well how it felt when you want to be left alone to deal with feelings. They put the dishes into the dishwasher and when Mac stepped out into the hallway he spotted a bag in the corner that he hadn’t seen before. “You came here straight from the airport?” he asked Jack when he got out of the kitchen.

“Yeah, took a cab here,” Jack confirmed. “Besides, it’s not like I had anywhere else to go, my apartment is gone, right?”

Mac winced. “Yeah, all your stuff is at my place, including the GTO. It didn’t feel right to just dump it all in a storage unit.” They took the elevator down to the ground floor and head outside to Mac’s truck. “Did Riles tell you what happened with her boyfriend?” When Jack shook his head, Mac backtracked and explained about Aubrey and Riley’s living situation, plus what happened the night before. “So she’s staying with me too, I gave her Bozer’s old room.”

“That’s really nice of you,” Jack murmured before the look on his face darkened. “Any chance I could convince you to tell me this Aubrey’s last name? Or his address?”

Mac smiled again, he couldn’t help it, and tossed Jack the keys to his truck. “Nope,” he said, getting into the passenger seat and waiting for Jack to slide behind the wheel before he continued, “If you wanna kill him, you have to get Riley’s blessing first. But I wouldn’t hold your breath, when Billy cheated on her I wanted to burn his things and she refused.”

Jack made a disgusted sound as he started the truck and pulled away from the curb. “What is it with that girl and relationships? I think we can both agree she’s awesome, right?” When Mac hummed his agreement, Jack glanced at him. “So why does she keep getting tripped up by assholes?”

“Maybe she’s looking for love in the wrong place,” Mac mused, and then he hesitated. Desi made him promise not to tell anyone... but Jack didn’t count, right? “After I made our breakup official, Desi told me she’s got feelings for somebody else.”

“Whoa, seriously?” Jack asked. “Did you know? Is that why you guys broke up?”

“No, not at all,” Mac said, shaking his head. “Like I said, it’s... complicated. But anyway, she said she’s been pining after someone... and she told me not to tell anyone, so you know nothing.” He took a deep breath. “It’s Riley.”

Jack said nothing for a moment, drumming a thumb against the steering wheel contemplatively. “We could totally set them up,” he suggested, and Mac choked on his own spit. “What? Riles likes Desi, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know if she likes her like _that_ ,” Mac replied, running a hand through his hair. “Besides, if Desi even suspected what we were doing, we’d lose way more than one testicle.”

“I’m not afraid of Desi,” Jack replied calmly, catching Mac off guard and making him stare at him with wide eyes. “What?” Jack’s voice turned amused when he saw the look on Mac’s face. “There are only a few things in the world that scare me, hoss. She ain’t one. Plus, she doesn’t have to find out.”

Mac stared at him for a moment longer before he reluctantly nodded. “I guess,” he said slowly. “Do you know if Riley... swings both ways?”

Jack made a face. “Hell no. I left when she was twelve, dude, how would I—” He cut off, eyes going wide as they turned down Mac’s street. “Wait, how did she meet Aubrey?”

“I’m... not sure,” Mac said, trying to remember if Riley ever brought it up. “Why?”

“What if she used one of those dating apps?” A plan seemed to be formulating in Jack’s mind. “If we could get a look at her phone, we might be able to see what she put down for her preferred gender... or _genders_.”

“That’s a good idea... but how are we going to get to her phone?” Mac asked as Jack parked the car in his driveway. “She doesn’t leave it around and even when she does, I’m sure that phone is locked.”

“We’ll figure somethin’ out,” Jack said with a wink, but before he could say anything else the front door flew open and Riley ran out of the house.

Jack grinned widely and jumped out of the car, opening his arms when Riley pretty much jumped on him. Mac grinned and got out of the car too, coming around to lean against the hood and watch their reunion.

“I missed you so much,” Riley said, her words slightly muffled by Jack’s shoulder.

“I missed you too, baby girl,” Jack said, his voice cracking with emotion. When they broke apart, Riley was too busy staring up into Jack’s face to notice that he’d picked her pocket, slipping her phone up the sleeve of his leather jacket. Mac stared in shock, eyes widening when he realized Jack used such a sweet moment to steal Riley’s phone, but he was too impressed to be indignant about it. “How about you let me grab my bag and then you’ll let me how you’ve been?” Jack asked, grinning widely at Riley. “From what I’ve heard there are at least two punks I need to kill.”

Riley rolled her eyes, a smile on her face. “I don’t want you to kill anybody, Jack,” she said as they walk into the house, which was... not as much of a mess as it was when Mac was working as a professor, but it still wasn’t clean. “Except maybe Mac for not having any food in the house.”

“Yeah, I... kinda dropped the ball on that one,” Mac admitted with a wince. “Was there cereal? There should at least be cereal.”

“You could say that,” Riley said, grabbing a now empty box from the counter and waving it in his direction. “It’s all gone now.”

“Oh man, it’s so nice to see things haven’t changed,” Jack said, still grinning widely, and when he slid an arm around Riley’s shoulders Mac saw him drop her phone by the sink. “Mac’s still a disaster when it comes to food and eating,” he teased before leading Riley to the couch. “Now, baby girl, I know where to find Colton, but I’m gonna need more intel on that new guy.”

They started bickering back and forth but Mac tuned it out, grabbing Riley’s phone and making a beeline for the bathroom. He locked himself in and leaned against the vanity, swearing under his breath when he realized he needed Riley’s fingerprint or a PIN to open the phone. He debated what her PIN could be for a moment before trying Jack’s birthday, cheering silently when that unlocks the device.

He started going through the apps she had, praying she didn’t have some kind of tracking software installed that would alert her later about someone using her phone, and he made a quiet, triumphant noise when he found something that looked like a dating app. He opened it and looked for the settings, and after a moment managed to find Riley’s info... and he actually jumped when he saw she listed both men and women as the preferred genders.

That was one hurdle cleared, and he quickly backed out of her dating app and let the phone screen go dark before he tucked the device into his pocket and flushed the toilet for show. Once he came back out into the house he went through the cabinets and the fridge, making a list for the grocery store. When he got a chance he set Riley’s phone on the floor and kicked it a distance away, then frowned and called, “Hey, Riles? Did you drop your phone?”

Riley looked up with a frown before checking her pocket. “Oh yeah, I guess,” she said, getting up to grab it from the floor. “It must’ve slipped out of my pocket when I was running to greet Jack.” She grinned. “Thanks, Mac.”

Mac smiled back and saw Jack wink at him again when Riley wasn’t looking, and even though they were scheming in secret... he couldn’t help how happy he was. If he were doing this with anyone else he’d feel bad, but with Jack... everything was better with Jack in one way or another, and this was no exception. “I think I’m gonna try to be a decent host and go to the store,” Mac declared. “Anybody wanna come with me?”

“Sure, hoss,” Jack said, hopping up to his feet. He glanced down at Riley’s laptop, which appeared to be logged into the Phoenix. “What about you, Riles?”

She shook her head. “Nah, I’ve got some stuff I’m working on for Matty. Just make sure you bring back the double-stuffed Oreos and we’re good.”

“You got it,” Mac said, and grabbed Jack’s arm when he headed for the door. “Hang on,” he told him, and jogged to his room. He reached under the bed for a small box sitting between Jack’s sniper rifle and the cigar box, and grabbed what he was looking for. He came back to Jack and grinned at him, handing him the car keys. “Wanna take your GTO out for a spin?”

Jack grinned back and jostled his shoulder as they headed out the door. “You’re the best, dude.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!!! Thank you all for the lovely comments on the first chapter!!! <3 They make us both very happy. This chapter is mostly domestic fluffiness along with some Talking that the boys needed to do. If you're waiting for the drama, don't worry... it's coming in the next chapter. ;) Enjoy!

Mac pretended those words didn’t make him feel warm all over as he opened the garage door, revealing the sleek black body of the GTO. “I cleaned everything out of here so I could keep it inside,” he explained when Jack looked shocked. “Didn’t seem right to keep it under a tarp.”

“Aw man, I could kiss you right now,” Jack said, looking emotional as he walked inside to gently touch the car while Mac was having a crisis.

He almost blurted out something like “yes, please, do that”, but he forced himself to keep it together—this was just stuff Jack said, he’d always done it and it didn’t mean he actually wanted to kiss Mac. They got in after a moment of reverence on Jack’s part, and Mac had to admit that it was nice being back inside Jack’s beloved vehicle. He backed out carefully and then they were on the road, windows down and a huge grin on Jack’s face.

“This is great,” he said, glancing at Mac when they hit a red light. “Thank you for taking such good care of her.”

“Of course,” Mac said softly, unable not to smile when Jack grinned at him. When the light turned green Jack looked away and Mac dug his finger into his thigh to get a grip. “Jack?” he said after a moment, waiting for Jack to hum in response. “I’m... so glad you’re back.”

“I’m glad to be back, Mac,” Jack replied, his tone dropping to that warm rumble that Mac loved. He reached over to squeeze Mac’s knee briefly, then turned into the grocery store parking lot. “And I know this is probably a bad time to ask since you already have a houseguest, but... mind if I crash at your place for a while?”

“Not at all,” Mac said, trying not to show how happy the idea of Jack staying with him made him. “There’s plenty of room in the house, you know that.”

“Thanks, man,” Jack said, smiling once he parked the car. “I really appreciate it.”

“It’s not a problem, Jack,” Mac told him as they got out of the GTO. “Your stuff is at my place anyway... plus it’ll be nice to have you around.” He fought to keep his voice calm and steady. “I told you, I... I missed you.”

Jack’s hand landed on his shoulder, and the next thing Mac knew he was being pulled into a hug. “I missed you too,” he said quietly, giving Mac a squeeze before he let him go. “Now, what’s the latest on Operation Get Together? Did you find anything on Riley’s phone?”

“That’s how we’re calling it?” Mac asked with a grin. “I like it. And yes, I did,” he told Jack, chuckling when Jack made an impatient sound. “She had both men and women picked as her preferred genders.”

“Hell yeah!” Jack grinned even wider, shoving Mac gently. “My idea worked! Is that how it feels to be you?”

“Yeah, but usually with more explosions,” Mac deadpanned, grabbing a cart as they walked into the store. “So is there another part to your plan, or are we winging it?”

“That depends on whether you can get Matty to call Riley into the Phoenix for a couple hours,” Jack replied, immediately starting to fill the cart with stuff. “Because if we can get her outta the house, I can make a nice dinner, you can set up a place to eat on the deck... and we can lure them both in for a date.”

“Oh yeah, what could go wrong?” Mac wondered out loud, his voice sarcastic, but not in a mean way. “Are you sure it’s not gonna backfire? I mean, we know Desi likes Riley, but... Riley being into women doesn’t mean she’s into Desi.”

“Who wouldn’t be?” Jack asked incredulously. “She’s amazing and gorgeous.” A pause. “Something I guess you know better than I do.”

There was something... off in Jack’s voice that Mac couldn’t quite read and he wasn’t sure how to address it. “Right,” he says, clearing his throat. “I just don’t want to make things awkward if it doesn’t work out. And I don’t want to get killed by Desi for telling you about it.”

“I’ll protect you, don’t worry,” Jack teased, and whatever odd note was in his tone was gone. “And we’re never gonna know if we don’t try. Besides, if we set up Riles and Dez, then you and I can go out to dinner somewhere.”

“You realize if it does work out between the two of them we should probably get a hotel room, right?” Mac said, and when Jack didn’t respond, he elaborated, “I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to listen to them have sex through the wall.”

“Aw, man, stop it, that’s my baby girl we’re talkin’ about,” Jack whined, and made a face. “Besides... you think either of them is the type to put out on the first date?”

“Desi is,” Mac mumbled because he was an _idiot_ , and his face immediately started burning. He also realized that his and Desi’s relationship had always been mostly based on their physical attraction... so it was no wonder that things started to go wrong when they actually had to spend time with each other and talk.

Jack almost walked into a shelf full of canned food, but managed to pivot at the last minute so he didn’t knock everything over. “Okay, well... maybe you’re right about the hotel thing, then,” he said, clearing his throat loudly. “Now what’s a meal that they both enjoy? And are we buying wine or beer?”

As much as talking about his relationship with Desi clearly bothered Jack, Mac had taken her out on many dates, so he knew what she liked and that knowledge was necessary right now. “Desi likes wine on dates,” he said, avoiding looking directly at Jack. “And I don’t know, what can you make?”

“Pretty much anything, you know that,” Jack replied, his voice just a little strained. “How about lasagna? Red wine, some candles... could be nice.”

“Yeah, that would work,” Mac agreed, and he couldn’t stand this weird tension any longer. “Jack, wait,” he started, but then Jack looked at him with those gorgeous eyes... and Mac chickened out. “I don’t think we should do this tonight,” he said instead. “I mean... Desi and I just broke up, but more importantly... Aubrey just broke up with Riley, and they’ve been _living_ together for six months. They were serious, I think we should give her some time.”

Jack considered that for a moment before he nodded. “You’re probably right. What if we have the whole gang over tonight instead? We could make pizza instead of ordering it.”

“That sounds great,” Mac said, a weight lifting off his shoulders. “I’ll text everybody... and this could also give us the opportunity to do some more recon.”

“I like the way you think,” Jack said, grabbing some pizza dough and other ingredients. “You’re just as diabolical as I am.”

Mac snorted out a laugh, grinning when he saw Jack was smiling, and just like that, that weird tension was gone. “You make us sound so evil,” he teased, grabbing the Oreos Riley wanted. “But I’m not gonna lie, I kinda like that.”

“Of course you do,” Jack said, and Mac fondly rolled his eyes when he saw Jack throw the cereal he loved into the cart.

Just like with the pizza toppings, their taste in cereal was completely different, but since Jack was going to live with him, it made sense to get both of their favorites. The truth was, before Jack left Mac always kept the cereal he personally hated, just in case Jack would stay over. By the time they reached the checkout lane the cart was overflowing with food and Mac had gotten texts back from everybody saying they were down to come by later, even his dad. While he was checking his phone Jack managed to pull out his credit card and pay for the groceries.

When they got out to the parking lot Mac gripped Jack’s jacket, tugging him closer to meet his gaze. “Hey, you didn’t have to do that.”

“Do what?” Jack asked, blinking at him innocently.

Mac rolled his eyes. “You know what,” he replied, and started helping Jack put the groceries into the car. “You didn’t have to pay, I’m the host after all.”

“Yeah, and you’re lettin’ me stay at your place, so that’s the least I can do,” Jack retorted, raising his hand when Mac opened his mouth to protest. “Dude, come on. I haven’t had a chance to use my credit card in two years, let me enjoy the little things.”

“Okay, fine,” Mac relented, and jogged off to return the cart before they got back in the GTO.

~***~

The drive back to his house was just as pleasant as the one there, and when they arrived Mac was surprised to see Desi’s car in his driveway. As they got out of the GTO Riley and Desi came out of the house, laughing about something. “Retail therapy day,” Riley explained before either of them could ask. “You know, since we’re both single now.”

Even though their break up was amicable and he knew Riley didn’t mean it in a bad way, Mac still didn’t feel great about the idea that Desi needed cheering up because of him. He managed to keep a straight face, though, and smiled at them, raising an eyebrow at Desi when Riley wasn’t looking. She made the gesture of slicing her throat in response, so Mac was glad Jack went inside and there was no way for Desi to know he told Jack her big secret—Jack may have not been afraid of her, but Mac sometimes really was. He went inside when Riley and Desi got into the car and he found himself face to face with a grinning Jack.

“What are you so happy about?” Mac asked, amusement in his voice. “They’re friends, it’s not weird for them to hang out.”

“No... but it gives you and me a chance to hang out too,” Jack said, and that... that shouldn’t make Mac nearly as happy as it did. “Now help me put this shit away and maybe we can play some basketball or something.”

“Yes, sir,” Mac said, ducking when Jack tried to swat the back of his head. They both laughed and headed to the kitchen, quickly putting the food away, and Mac was almost vibrating with how happy he was. “If you wanna change, boxes with your clothes are in the guest room,” he said once they were done. “Pretty sure that leather jacket is not the best outfit for basketball.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back,” Jack said, and then he hesitated. “If Riles is staying in the guest room, should I move my stuff somewhere else?”

“Hmm, good point,” Mac said his eyebrows furrowing. The solution came to him immediately, but his mouth went dry at the thought. “You could... stay in my room? I wouldn’t mind.”

“And where are you gonna stay?” Jack asked, his brows furrowing, and god, he was adorable. “I ain’t gonna kick you out of your own bedroom.”

“No, I meant...” Mac swallowed hard, telling his brain to get its shit together. “There’s plenty of space, so all your boxes will fit... and my bed is huge. You know how awful the couch is and we... we shared a bed during missions before, so... I don’t have a problem with sharing now, just so you know.”

Jack’s eyes widened fractionally, but he nodded. “Yeah, that would be... thanks, Mac.”

“Sure, of course,” Mac said hurriedly, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat and hooked a thumb down the hall. “I’m gonna go change.”

He practically ran to his room, digging in the dresser for a t-shirt and shorts before he leaned against the furniture, trying to calm his racing heart. What the hell was he thinking? He meant what he said about the couch, sure, it was awful, but... inviting Jack to his bed? When he phrased it like that in his head it actually made his cheeks burn. Hiding his feelings from Jack was hard enough when they were just hanging out and Mac had no idea how he was going to keep his cool while having Jack _in bed with him_... but he’d figure it out. He’d be fine. He stripped out of his button-down shirt and jeans, kicking off his boots too, and he was reaching for his gym clothes when the bedroom door opened.

“When you said all my shit was in boxes, you weren’t kidding,” Jack said, and when Mac spun around in his underwear he saw he was carrying a large stack of boxes that obscured his vision. “Where do I put these, hoss?”

“Um... here, let me help you,” Mac said, stepping closer to reach for the top box, which must be one of the stupidest ideas he’d ever had. He could’ve quickly thrown on at least his t-shirt, but no, instead he decided to help Jack wearing just his boxer briefs. “Let’s put them here in the corner for now,” he said, grabbing the box and stepping back to put it down on the floor.

“That’s great, man—oh shit, I’m sorry,” Jack said in a strained voice, and when Mac turned to look at him he saw Jack staring at him with huge eyes. “I... I thought you changed already, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it,” Mac said, feeling his face flame bright red as he grabbed blindly for a shirt. “Nothing you haven’t seen before, right?”

“Right,” Jack agreed, and his voice sounded oddly strangled. 

Was it Mac’s imagination, or was he blushing too? “I’ll, uh, I’ll meet you outside?”

“Y-yeah, sure,” Jack stuttered, and then he was gone, the bedroom door closing behind him.

Mac exhaled shakily and dropped down on the bed, burying his face in his hands and making a muffled, hysterical sound. Once he felt like he wasn’t going to catch on fire, he got up and put on his clothes and sneakers. He walked out of the bedroom feeling relatively normal, pretty sure that he could do this... but all of that flew out of the window when he saw Jack waiting for him wearing just shorts, no shirt.

“Ready, hoss?” Jack asked with a grin that Mac almost didn’t notice because his eyes were glued to Jack’s impressive chest that got so much _more_ impressive while he was away. “Mac?”

“Uh, yeah,” Mac blurted out after a second, grabbing the basketball and tossing it in Jack’s direction. “Think fast!”

They started playing a pickup game and it felt like nothing had changed, and Mac was actually able to lose himself in physical activity for a while. Every time he and Jack bounced off each other or their hands brushed as they reached for the ball he felt like he was going to faint, but he tried his best to push that away. He also tried not to stare at Jack’s perfect body, now glistening with sweat, but it was impossible since he had to look at him whenever he had the ball.

Jack was... gorgeous, and Mac’s mouth actually watered when he took a better look at his abs, and just for a second he imagined how it would feel to lick them... and he got distracted because of that, tripping over his feet, and before he knew what was happening he was falling. He squeezed his eyes shut and curled in on himself, fully expecting to hit the ground... but it didn’t happen because something stopped his momentum. When he opened his eyes he found himself staring into Jack’s face, strong arms wrapped tightly around Mac’s body to keep him upright.

“You okay, Mac?” Jack asked, slightly out of breath, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple. “You seem distracted.”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Mac said after a tiny delay, doing his best to ignore how warm and firm Jack’s body was against him... and failing miserably. Jack looked at him dubiously and Mac didn’t want to go back to how they were before Jack left, when everything was off because of the Nigeria fiasco, so he knew he needed to tell him something. “I’m just... there’s a lot of stuff going on, you know? With Codex, my dad being... somewhere, the entire mess with Desi... and you know me, I can’t turn my brain off.”

Jack smiled, straightening up and bringing Mac with him with little effort. “Good to know some things never change,” he teased, wiping the sweat from his brow. They went over and sit on top of the retaining wall, cracking open bottles of Gatorade. “You wanna talk about anything specific? I’m all ears.”

While Mac used all that as an excuse to distract Jack from his staring, talking to him about everything sounds... nice. He sighed and chewed on his lower lip, wondering where to start and finally deciding to leave the Desi thing for later. “I’m... not sure what to do about my dad,” he said quietly, voicing that for the first time. “Everyone keeps telling me I should fix things with him or I will regret not doing it... but I just...” He trailed off and made a frustrated sound. “I’m having a hard time letting go of what he did all those years ago.”

“Saving you by sacrificing those other soldiers, you mean?” Jack asked, raising an eyebrow. When Mac nodded, he sighed. “Okay, I’m gonna say something here that you’re not gonna like, but I think you need to hear it. In your dad’s eyes and in mine, you’re worth a hundred soldiers, or a thousand. You were an invaluable asset that day, yeah, but it’s more than that—you’re his son, and he loves you more than anything even if he’s terrible at showing it. I would’ve done the same thing if I had been in his shoes, no question about it.”

Mac exhaled shakily, staring at the ground, because... he expected this answer, but actually hearing it was a different thing. Jack was actually the first person directly telling him how they felt about this mess, no walking on eggshells, and that was another reason why Mac missed him so much. “I... I knew you’d say that,” Mac said, twisting his fingers. “And I... I get that, I really do.” The truth was, Mac kind of understood his dad’s point of view one night when he was thinking about it... and realized he would do the same thing for Jack.

“Then what is this really about?” Jack asked softly, and Mac looked at him with wide eyes. “You say you get it and I believe you. But you’re also using this situation as an excuse not to fix things with your dad... while there’s something else goin’ on. Am I right?”

“He _left_ , Jack,” Mac whispered after a moment, tears welling in his eyes. “He just... _left_ on my birthday, like it meant nothing to him. Like... like _I_ meant nothing to him. I grew up without a mom, without a dad... and when I did finally find him again...” He swallowed hard, because he’d never told Jack about their conversation in the burning lab. “He told me he left because I reminded him too much of my mom. That I look too much like her.”

Jack was silent for a moment and when he spoke again his voice was still soft, but there was this... edge to it. “When did he tell you that?”

“In that lab where Walsh locked us up,” Mac replied quietly, angrily wiping his cheeks when he felt the tears fall because it’d been so long, he should be over this by now.

“Well, that’s bullshit,” Jack murmured, blunt in the way only he could be. “And I’d love to punch him for sayin’ that to you. That was a crappy excuse and you deserved better than that, you still do.”

Mac sniffled and managed a small smile when he looked at Jack again. “Thanks, Jack,” he whispered, letting out a shuddering sigh. “I guess what makes it worse is that... I don’t really remember her. My mom, I mean. There’s a few pictures, but... I don’t know anything about her. And it’s not like I can ask him.” He stared out at the front yard for a moment, chewing on the inside of his cheek. “I think his cancer might be back.”

“Wait, _what_?” Jack asked, sounding so shocked that it made Mac look up... and he suddenly realized that Jack had already left for the Kovacs mission when Mac found out about his dad’s cancer.

“Oh, I... I thought Desi told you,” Mac said quietly. “Yeah, my dad, he... he has cancer. I found out a few weeks after you left.” He snorted. “Not that he told me. He was acting weird, so I asked Bozer to follow him... and while my dad made him, obviously, Bozer managed to find out the truth.” He sighed. “It got better, but then Mason happened and... I don’t know, I have this feeling that it’s getting worse again.”

Jack reached out and put a hand on Mac’s shoulder. His touch was warm and familiar, his hand heavy through the damp material of Mac’s t-shirt. “I’m so sorry, Mac,” he said softly. “That’s awful. All of it.”

Mac only nodded, too afraid that his voice would break to speak. He took a moment to get it together, then met Jack’s eye and said, “I’m... I’m really glad you came back when you did, Jack. I know I must sound like a broken record by now, but... it’s been hard doing all of this without you.”

Jack’s face twisted into a pained expression and he squeezed Mac’s shoulder tightly. “I’m so sorry I left,” he said, sounding... tortured. “And I’m... I’m sorry it took so damn long for me to come back, I never thought it would take two fucking years.” He sighed and let go of Mac’s shoulder, and stared ahead. “I promised you I’d never leave you and I broke that promise. I can’t apologize enough for that.”

“I was pretty pissed about that at first,” Mac admitted, smiling at Jack to reassure him. “But I understood why you left... and unlike a lot of people, you actually said goodbye.” He paused, kicking at the pavement with his sneaker. “I would’ve liked a hug instead of a handshake, though.”

He heard Jack exhale shakily. “I... wasn’t sure about that,” he said, and it was enough to make Mac look at him in confusion. “When you came back from NIgeria I thought you wanted distance,” he explained, and Mac felt like kicking himself because this only proved what he already knew—Nigeria was the thing that doomed them. “So I gave it to you, but that led to me pushing you away and...” Jack trailed off with a sigh. “I should’ve just talked to you instead of leaving like that.”

“Hey, this isn’t all on you,” Mac protested, not liking the guilt he heard in Jack’s voice. “I knew Nigeria was a mistake. I should’ve handled that differently—quitting was one thing, but I shouldn’t have just left without talking to you first, or giving you the opportunity to come with me.” He reached out and squeezed Jack’s knee without thinking about it. “You’re the most important person in my life, Jack. I didn’t treat you like that, and I’m sorry.”

Jack looked at him in surprise which confirmed what Mac just said—he didn’t treat Jack right and let him forget how important he was to Mac. “I forgave you for that a long time ago,” Jack said softly, covering Mac’s hand with his and squeezing, and after that Mac forced himself to take his hand away, not wanting to make things awkward. They sat in silence for a moment, but it wasn’t uncomfortable and Mac let himself enjoy it. It was unbelievable that only after a few hours with Jack Mac already felt better than he had in a long time—two years, if he was being honest—and something must show on his face, because Jack nudged his shoulder. “What else is on your mind?”

Mac couldn’t tell him the secret that was fighting to trip off his tongue—that he was in love with him and had been for years—so he came up with something else. “I was just thinking how funny it is that I went from living by myself for the first time ever to having two roommates in less than twenty four hours,” he said, smiling a little. “I’m not complaining, though. I didn’t like being here alone all the time.”

“When did Bozer move out?” Jack asked, his voice a comforting, soothing rumble that Mac missed so damn much.

“About two months after you left,” Mac replied. “I don’t know if Desi told you, but Leanna went back to the CIA after the Phoenix disbanded. She broke up with Bozer soon after, but he grew used to his apartment, so he didn’t want to move back in. I guess he realized he liked living alone... unlike me.”

Jack was quiet for a moment as he absorbed that. When he did speak again, it was incredulously: “What the hell have you been eating?”

Mac laughed, grinning so hard his face hurt as he pushed back his sweaty hair. “Takeout, mostly,” he said, looking down at his shoes. “I’ve learned how to make a few things without burning the house down... Desi took pity on me and would cook when she came over, but that was about it.”

Jack chuckled a little before he looked at Mac for a moment, something unreadable in his eyes... but it was gone the next time he blinked. “So you and Dez, huh?” he asked, and he sounded... normal, but it also seemed like he was trying very hard to keep his voice that way. “How did that happen?”

Mac sighed and thought about how to answer that. “We got together not long before the Phoenix got shut down,” he eventually said, his mind going back in time. “Not one of my smartest ideas.” When Jack didn’t say anything, Mac felt the need to fill the void with noise, not wanting this to get any more awkward than it had to be. “It was mostly physical,” he said, which... yikes. “I mean, not that I don’t care about her, I do, it’s just...” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I love Desi, but not like that. We’re great together in the field, and the adrenaline from missions... well, it led to things like destroying a hotel room, she wasn’t kidding about that. But we were never going to be a real couple.”

Jack still wasn’t saying anything, but it wasn’t because he didn’t know what to say—he was giving Mac a chance to get it all out and he hadn’t even realized how much he needed to talk about this until now. “Things got ugly once the Phoenix got disbanded and we had to... spend time together outside of work and... talk,” he continued, words tumbling out of his mouth on their own. “Turned out we didn’t have that much in common and we would mostly... well. We’d fight a lot, we’d make up, repeat.” He sighed. “So we went our separate ways... but then we got back the Phoenix, we started working together again... against my better judgement, we... got back together.”

“And you fell back into the same pattern that wasn’t good for either of you,” Jack finished, draining the last of his Gatorade. “You think Riley would be a better match for Desi?”

“Yeah, I do,” Mac replied, not even needing to think about it. “They’re very... compatible, they like some of the same things... and Riley can actually talk Desi down when she gets angry, unlike me.” Jack raised his eyebrow curiously and Mac sighed again. “I usually wound up making her even angrier,” he said, shrugging a little. “You know me, I’m... not that great with interacting with people sometimes, so I would usually say the wrong thing... it’s ironic that I can prevent bombs from exploding, but I can’t do that with people. Anyway,” he said, and cleared his throat. “I never wanted to hurt Desi, especially since I think... there were more feelings involved on her side, but it’s better that it’s over. For good.”

“Well, even if it didn’t work out, I’m glad you put yourself out there again,” Jack said, and there was that... strained note in his voice again, like he was trying very hard to say what he thought Mac should hear and sound normal doing it. “After that whole mess with Nikki, I was kinda afraid you were gonna live the rest of your life as a monk. I know you were with Nasha for a little bit... but I got the feelin’ that wasn’t as serious as Nikki was.”

“It... it wasn’t,” Mac admitted. “Which wasn’t fair to her either.” He snorted, shrugging a little. “Like I said, I suck at relationships... and I think I’m done with that for now. No point in hurting yet another person.” Plus, Mac didn’t really want to date anyone _but_ Jack, but it wasn’t like he could tell him that.

“Hey now, don’t say that,” Jack protested. “I’m sure there’s someone out there just right for you. You just haven’t found her yet.”

“Or him,” Mac muttered absently, and it was only when he heard Jack’s sharp intake of breath that he realized what he just said. He swallowed hard, not daring to look at Jack. “Surprise?” he tried weakly.

He jumped when Jack’s hand landed on his shoulder again, his grip a little tighter this time. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said, and Mac let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “It would be pretty hypocritical of me if it wasn’t.”

“What?” Mac breathed out, and when he finally looked at Jack he found him watching him with a soft yet uncertain expression on his face. “You’re—”

“Yeah,” Jack murmured. He repeated Mac’s earlier word: “Surprise?”

Mac felt like his world had just gotten turned upside down. “Oh, I... cool, okay,” he said, struggling with words, well aware he sounded like an idiot. “I... didn’t know that.”

Jack nudged Mac’s knee with his own. “Yeah, well, I could say the same thing,” he pointed out, a smile making his whole face light up. “How about this—from now on, there’s no more secrets between us? I’m sick and tired of all the... well, not lying, but not being honest with each other.”

“Yeah, absolutely,” Mac immediately agreed. “No more secrets.” Jack’s smile widened and Mac couldn’t help but smile back—that was just how Jack affected him. “So what do you say?” he asked, getting up to his feet. “Wanna play some more before we have to get ready for our guests?”

Jack grinned now, accepting Mac’s hand when he offered it and allowing himself to be pulled up. “Hell yeah. Gives me a chance to kick your ass.”

“Oh, it’s on now,” Mac declared, shoving at Jack’s shoulder as they jogged out on to the court.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry this chapter took a little longer! Between school, snow, and the length of the chapter itself it kinda got away from me. :) **Just an FYI, this chapter contains recreational alcohol use as well as some kissing that happens when everyone is a little drunk. Totally consensual, but just thought I'd mention it.** Enjoy!

After they were done playing and arguing about who won, they were both sweaty and panting. Jack did his absolute best not to stare at Mac, his arms especially, but damn, it was more difficult than it was before he left. He was pretty sure it was both because he was out of practice when it came to being careful around Mac and because he wasn’t kidding earlier when he said Mac’s arm got more... muscular. He was as gorgeous as always, and Jack needed to get his shit together before he blurted out he loved him—the fact that Mac was apparently into guys didn’t mean he would ever be into Jack.

Mac was a gracious host and let Jack take the first shower, going in himself as soon as Jack’s done. Once he was dried off Jack decided he’d start getting things ready for the party, which meant dragging the ice chest in from the garage and filling it with cold beers and sodas, then getting out all the toppings for the pizzas they were going to make. He figured they could all make individual ones to their taste, so he started chopping the meats and veggies and putting them into bowls. He didn’t forget the pineapple, which according to him belonged on pizza, thank you very much, and he was in the middle of cutting it when Mac walked out of his room. He made a face when he saw the pineapple and leaned against the corner.

“Like you said, some things never change,” Mac said, giving the pineapple a dirty look before smiling at Jack. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Maybe don’t insult my pizza toppings,” Jack groused, smiling when Mac pinched his arm in retaliation. “You could get out all the silverware and whatnot—oh, and did you want a salad?”

“Yeah, we should at least pretend to be healthy,” Mac said, grabbing plates and napkins too. “Should I take out that cake we bought?”

“Yeah, but maybe not while you’re carrying all those plates,” Jack said, grinning when Mac glared at him. “What? You know you trip easily and only have one cake.”

“Very funny,” Mac muttered, but did as Jack said, carrying only plates and napkins outside, and coming back for the cake a moment later.

Once that was done Jack had him cut the vegetables for the salad—couldn’t burn down the kitchen with a knife—and soon they had everything ready. Just in time, Jack realized when he glanced at his watch, because everyone should start arriving soon.

As if on cue the front door opened... and Russ Taylor walked through it. “Hello, Angus—for you, with my compliments,” he said to Mac, handing over a bottle of expensive whiskey.

“Thanks, Russ, this is great,” Mac said, and even though Jack knew he didn’t personally like whiskey he could tell he meant it. “I don’t have to introduce you to Jack.”

“No you do not,” Russ said, sizing Jack up for a moment before he stuck his hand out over the counter. “Nice to see you when you’re not trying to beat the piss out of me, Dalton.”

Jack saw Mac shoot him a curious look over Taylor’s shoulder and he knew he’d be asked to tell those stories later. He eyed the hand extended toward him and then shook it, meeting Taylor’s gaze. “To be fair, you had it coming every single time, Taylor,” he said, keeping his tone almost friendly, but he also grinned with all his teeth. “So I hope you’re not expectin’ an apology.”

“From you? Never.” Russ’s tone was wry but not surprised, and thankfully before the conversation could get truly awkward, the door opened again.

This time it was Desi and Riley, both bogged down with big shopping bags. “We brought mozzarella sticks!” Desi declared, putting a greasy box down on the countertop before she winked at Mac. “Yes, they’re from the good Italian place, not the shitty one.”

Jack felt a sharp pang of jealousy in his chest and forced himself to push it away—Mac wasn’t with Desi anymore and didn’t want to be, he said so himself. And everyone knew Mac was very particular when it came to the mozzarella sticks, so Desi knowing about that wasn’t at all surprising, but Jack’s stupid brain couldn’t stop thinking about Mac and Desi together. He smiled when Riley came over and kissed his cheek, and he tried to focus on her to distract himself. “How was shopping, baby girl?” he asked. “Retail therapy worked?”

“Yeah, everything’s good now,” Riley replied, and she definitely sounded more chipper than she did earlier. “Hanging out with Desi always helps, she’s... surprisingly easy to talk to.”

Bozer arrived next, a six pack of beer in one hand and a big smile on his face. “Hey, Jack!” he exclaimed, and the next thing Jack knew he was being hugged to within an inch of his life. “It’s good to see you, man.”

“You too, Bozer,” Jack said, hugging him back with a smile.

They pulled back just as the front door opened again and a moment later Matty showed up. “Dalton,” she said, handing Russ a box of pastries she brought, and it was amusing how quickly Russ grabbed them and then almost bowed. “Nice to see you’re in one piece.” She eyed him for a moment before she smiled. “Now give me a hug, what are you waiting for?”

Jack laughed and knelt down on one knee, opening his arms and hugging her, aware of Russ watching them like they were a supernatural phenomenon. Years of training told Jack there were more people around that he’d seen so far, though, so he glanced around over Matty’s shoulder... and spotted James MacGyver lingering in the hallway near the front door. He was thinner and paler than Jack remembered, but he had no way of knowing if that was a side effect from treatment or if the cancer was back like Mac suspected.

He tamped down on the ire he felt toward James when he remembered what Mac told him earlier, and instead stood up and offered him a hand to shake. “James, it’s good to see you again.”

“You too, Dalton,” James replied, gripping his hand firmly. “Glad you made it back here in one piece.”

“Happy about that, not gonna lie,” Jack said, and then saw James look over his shoulder, probably watching Mac. The expression on his face turned sad and it seemed like he wasn’t sure what to do next—which was rare for Oversight, and Jack was pretty sure he’d never seen him like that. “Piece of advice?” he said, smiling a little when James’s gaze snapped to him. “Try not to call him an invaluable asset when you guys talk about what happened all those years ago. Just call him your son.”

James stared at him for a moment before he nodded, chuckling a little. “Good point. I’ll keep it in mind.” He went over to talk to Mac, and Jack felt like he’d done a good thing for the first time in a while.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned to find Desi holding out a beer in his direction. “You looked like you could use one of these.”

“Thanks,” Jack said, accepting the beer and taking a long sip. He swallowed and then smirked knowingly at Desi. “I told you you would get attached to them.” He remembered the conversation they had when he asked her to take his job. “No matter how hard you fight it and how much you wanna deny it... they get under your skin, don’t they?”

Desi grinned at him, punching his shoulder lightly. “Yeah, they’re okay,” she said, affection in her tone as she glanced toward the rest of the group. “And it’s nice to have friends I can depend on for once in my life.” She looked at Jack again, her expression going serious. “You doing okay? You were gone for a long time.”

Jack sighed and thought about how to answer, but even though he expected this question at some point, it didn’t make it easier. “As okay as I can, I guess,” he eventually said. He didn’t mention the nightmares and how the tiniest sound could make him jump and draw his gun—those were the things he would only ever admit to Mac and only after a long interrogation that he knew was coming. “It’s gonna take me a minute to get used to bein’ back, that’s for sure.”

“Well if you need any help or just somebody to talk to, you know where to find me,” Desi said, smiling again when Jack gave her a friendly clap on the shoulder. “And if you’re lucky I won’t tell Mac any embarrassing stories about you.”

“Wait, you have embarrassing stories about Jack and you’re only bringing it up _now_?” Mac asked indignantly, while Riley and Bozer both laughed. “Why would you deprive us of that?”

Desi shrugged with a smirk. “I waited for the right moment to drop that bomb, but it never seemed like a good time.”

“And there never will be,” Jack said, when he saw Mac open his mouth. “Besides, she knows nothin’! Now how about we start on the pizzas? If you wanna it you have to work for it tonight.”

“Oooh, this looks fun,” Riley said, and they divided up the dough and started rolling it out, throwing it on cookie sheets or whatever it will fit on. “Russ, have you ever made your own pizza before?”

“Not that I can recall,” Russ said, and when everybody shot him a quizzical look he shrugged his shoulders. “What? I got absolutely smashed in college a lot, it’s entirely possible I did it and forgot.”

Jack bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from commenting—it seemed like Russ was getting along with the team, and while Jack didn’t trust him, he wasn’t about to ruin the mood. He ended up making his pizza next to Mac—not by accident, but no one needed to know that—and he sneakily tried to throw some pineapple on Mac’s dough.

“Get your awful toppings away from my pizza!” Mac told him, snatching his pizza away, a wide grin on his face. “Or I’ll force some anchovies down your throat.”

“You _hate_ anchovies,” Jack pointed out. “You wouldn’t touch them with a ten feet pole.”

“You’re both idiots,” Matty commented, standing on a chair to reach the countertop. “Anchovies are the best pizza topping.”

“No, that has to be olives,” James argued, and soon the conversation devolved into the pleasant bickering Jack was used to.

Eventually they got the pizzas in the oven and took the salad and mozzarella sticks out to the deck. Jack managed to sit next to Mac around the fire pit, their legs pressed together, and even with Taylor there... he could finally let himself relax. It’d been... two years since he was able to fully relax and just... let go like that. Even though he wasn’t always in imminent danger, Kovacs was always lurking somewhere, if not near him, then always in Jack’s mind, so he made sure to always stay alert, no matter what. He was brought out of his thoughts by a shoulder gently nudging his own.

“Hey, you okay?” Mac asked softly, quietly enough that no one else could hear him. “Are you tired?”

“A little,” Jack admitted, nudging him back. “But I’ll be good for a while.” He drained the rest of his beer and leaned back to grab another one, tilting it toward Riley, who had a bottle opener. “Thank you, darlin’.”

They all sat down and started chatting, and Jack did his best not to lean too hard into Mac’s warmth. When the timer on the oven went off Jack volunteered to get the pizzas, and he wasn’t really aware that Mac followed him until he moved to put the first pizza down and almost ran into him.

“Jesus Christ,” Jack breathed out, and it was only because his holding the pizza that his right hand didn’t go for the gun that he wasn’t currently carrying. “You scared the shit outta me, man, you’re gettin’ too good at Matty’s Houdini tricks.”

Instead of replying right away, Mac tilted his head and watched him for a moment, reminding Jack of a golden retriever puppy, even though his hair was shorter than it was when he left. “You’re not okay,” Mac said after a moment, and it wasn’t even a question, it was a statement.

Jack sighed, putting the pizza down on a hot pad and reaching for the next one. “No, I’m not,” he agreed, knowing there was no sense in trying to convince Mac otherwise. Besides, _he_ was the one who asked for no more dishonesty, so... he’d have to live with the consequences of that request. “I was out in the field for a long time, man. Don’t know if I’m ever gonna be right after that.”

“You’d been out in the field for a long time before,” Mac pointed out. “I know it’s hard to adjust to being back, but... you know that even better than I do.” Mac watched him for a moment as Jack takes out yet another pizza. “What’s different this time?”

“Why do you assume anything’s different?” Answering a question with a question was a rookie mistake, Jack was aware, but he was too tired and he wasn’t undercover, so his training was turned off right now.

Mac smiled a little. “Answering a question with a question? That was, like, the first thing you taught me _not_ to do.” He waited until Jack was done taking out all the pizzas before he took the oven mitt off Jack’s hand and all but backed him into the corner made by the kitchen cabinets. “Try that again. What’s different this time?”

Jack sighed and stared at the ceiling for a moment, knowing there was no escaping Mac and his questions. “This time I had something to come back to,” he eventually replied, and Mac’s eyes widened in surprise. “I have to face you, all of you—” he tried to make it sound like he meant the entire team and not just Mac, but he wasn’t sure he succeeded “—after what I had to do, and no, I’m not ready to talk about that. But because of that my head’s even more fucked up.”

Mac reached out and put both of his hands on Jack’s shoulders, blinking those big blue eyes at him. “Jack... I can’t speak for everybody,” he started, gaining confidence as he talked, “but there’s nothing you could tell me about what you did that would make me look at you any differently. And I know that probably sounds like bullshit, or that people have said it to you before and didn’t mean it... but I do. There’s nothing that would change my perception of you.”

Jack stared into those gorgeous eyes and saw nothing but sincerity in them, and he knew that Mac meant those words... or at least he thought he did. No matter how Mac felt now, Jack was pretty sure that would change if he found out about all the things that happened during the Kovacs mission and Jack wasn’t ready to lose him so soon after getting him back. “I... appreciate it, Mac,” he said, smiling weakly. “But—”

“You don’t have to tell me anything,” Mac interjected softly, and god, Jack was so in love with him. “Not until and _unless_ you’re ready. But I promise you, I’m not going anywhere.”

Jack had never wanted to kiss Mac more than in that moment, but he restrained himself, biting the inside of his cheek so hard it bled. “I... thanks, Mac,” he whispered, blinking back tears.

They moved apart and started cutting the pizzas as the others came inside to collect their bounty. “Oh, I _have_ done this before!” Russ exclaimed once he had a bite of his pizza. “I threw up afterward. Not sure if that was the pizza or the alcohol.”

“Probably alcohol... unless you forgot to actually put the pizza in the oven,” Desi said with a grin. “Raw dough wouldn’t sit well with you.”

They all grabbed their pizzas and headed back on the deck, discussing Russ’s poor life choices, and Jack took a moment to just look at everyone. There were moments when he was sure he would never get to have this again, that he wouldn’t live long enough to come back... but he did. Swallowing down all the emotions, he joined everyone outside, taking a seat next to Mac again and secretly enjoying being close to him.

They eat and drink, talk and laugh, and Jack reveled in every second of it. Even having Taylor there wasn’t as weird as he thought it would be—it seemed like Mac was right and he really was trying to change. After they devoured all the food they cut the cake and broke out the whiskey, which was just as good as its price tag suggests... and Jack was starting to get a little tipsy. It happened a lot sooner than it usually would, but he hadn’t had many occasions to drink alcohol in the last two years, so he was out of practice. Thankfully the need to hide his feelings for Mac was so deeply ingrained in him that even being tipsy or drunk wasn’t enough to make him talk... or at least he hoped so.

It seemed like he wasn’t the only one feeling the whiskey, though—everyone around him was clearly not sober, which was usually a recipe for a disaster... and this time was no different because suddenly Bozer exclaimed, “Hey, an idea! How about...” He trailed off to create a lousy excuse for suspense. “We play spin the bottle?”

“That’s a terrible idea!” Riley said, right before she giggled. “Let’s do it.”

“Is this something we should be here for?” James asked with wide eyes, glancing at Matty.

She shrugged her shoulders and shot Jack a smirk. “Why not? It wouldn’t be the first time I wound up kissing Dalton at a party.”

Jack felt his face turn red, but Russ choked on his whiskey and started coughing, so he counted it as a win.

Mac also stared at Jack with wide eyes, his cheeks flushed from the alcohol, and a moment later a slow smirk spread on his lips. “You are _so_ telling me this story later.” He didn’t seem opposed to the idea of playing the game and Jack was too tipsy to care either... the consequences not quite registering in his brain.

James downed the rest of his whiskey, poured himself another glass, and downed that one as well. “Okay, I’m good,” he declared, swaying a little as they all moved away from the fire pit to sit down on the floor in a circle.

Desi picked up an empty beer bottle on her way over and put it in the middle of the circle. “Okay, who wants to go first?”

“Bozer, since it was his idea,” Russ said, voice hoarse from sputtering. “We should devise a punishment if someone refuses to kiss the person they land on, though.”

“Streaking,” Mac deadpanned, running a hand through his hair, completely unaware of how gorgeous he was. “If you don’t wanna kiss the person... you have to run down my street naked. _But_ ,” he continued, raising a placating hand. “I don’t have to kiss my dad, and Jack doesn’t have to kiss Riley. Anything else is fair game.”

“Sounds good,” Riley said, clapping her hands. “Now, let’s do this! Come on, Bozer.”

Bozer stared at the bottle in the middle of the circle for a few seconds and then looked up, his eyes huge. “Now wait a second, why exactly am I going first?” he asked, clearly chickening out. “Because—”

“Because it was your bloody idea,” Russ interjected, giving him a pointed, slightly drunken look. “Get on with it.”

“Spin the damn bottle, Bozer,” Matty said when Bozer opened his mouth to protest, and then she grinned widely with all teeth, looking just as dangerous as Jack when he did it. “That’s an order.”

Everybody “ooohs” theatrically in response to that, and Bozer grumbled something under his breath but spun the bottle. It circled several times, and finally landed on... James. “Oh come on!” Bozer exclaimed, waving his arms around. “You’re really gonna make me kiss _Oversight_ on the first spin?”

“It’s either that or streak down the street,” Mac warned, taking another drag off his whiskey. “Chop chop.”

Jack loved how unbothered Mac was by all of this—thanks to whiskey, no doubt about that—and he snickered when Bozer gulped.

James, on the other hand, also seemed to have made his peace with the game, because he just rolled his eyes. “Come on, Bozer, let’s get this over with.” They both moved toward the middle of the circle and everybody cheered loudly when they kissed, their lips barely touching, but still.

“Taylor, you’re up,” Desi said, once James and Bozer sat back in their spots, and Russ groaned. “Don’t whine, we’re going clockwise.”

“Ugh, fine,” Russ griped, and he sounded remarkably like a disgruntled teenager. He spun the bottle, eyeing it suspiciously the whole time, and he grinned when it landed on Desi. “What was that about not whining, Nguyen?”

“Fuck off,” Desi muttered, leaning into the circle and allowing Russ to plant a kiss on her mouth. She pointed at him afterward. “You tell anybody about that and I’ll kill you. Matty, it’s your turn.”

“Oh, I’m aware,” Matty replied, not protesting at all, and Jack wasn’t even surprised that so far she was the only one handling this with dignity. She leaned forward and spun the bottle, looking at it while it moved, and then she chuckled when it landed on Jack. “Aww, Dalton, here we go again,” she said with a wicked grin, and Jack rolled his eyes but obediently moved forward, pressing his lips to Matty’s and smiling when he heard catcalls around them.

“I can’t believe you two never wound up in bed together,” Riley commented, and Jack’s face flamed scarlet again.

“Oh, Riles, who says we didn’t?” Matty teased with a wink, cackling when Jack groaned. “Speaking of you, Riley, I think it’s your turn.”

Riley obediently spun the bottle... and raised her eyebrows when it landed on Desi. Something flashed across Desi’s face and disappeared just as quickly, and it took Jack a second to realize it was longing. Probably for this to be real, and not just part of a game.

“Someone’s popular tonight,” James commented, and just like that, the look was gone from Desi’s face.

Instead she just grinned and leaned in when Riley did, and either Jack was seeing things... or the kiss lasted a bit longer than the previous ones. He felt Mac discreetly punch his thigh, so he knew he noticed it too, but he forced himself to act normally, not wanting to ruin Operation Get Together.

Desi looked dazed when they broke apart, so Jack came to the rescue. “Alright, Dez,” he called out. “You’ve been kissed plenty, but it’s your turn now.”

“Oh yeah,” Desi said absently, like she forgot about the game entirely. She spun the bottle, and despite what he just saw Jack’s heart sank when it landed on Mac. “Please, like I haven’t done _this_ before.”

“So I’m old news, huh?” Mac asked with a teasing grin, leaning in to receive a peck on the lips. “Good to know. Dad, it’s your turn.”

Jack forced himself to keep a straight face because for some reason seeing Mac and Desi kiss made his brain start producing images of them doing... more, and for a moment he felt like he was going to be sick. He was distracted from that by James spinning the bottle that wound up landing on Mac. They both made a face and Mac gestured at him to go again, and when he did the bottle spins for a long time, eventually slowing down... and pointing at Matty.

“Looks like someone else is popular,” Russ commented, earning himself a kick to the knee from Matty. “Ow. Uncalled for.”

“Very much called for,” Matty retorted, then gestured for James to come closer. They kissed... and again, it lingered for a little longer than anyone anticipated.

“It’s, uh, it’s your turn, Angus,” James said, sounding astonished.

Mac dutifully reached out and spun the bottle... and Jack went hot all over when he realized it landed on him. Suddenly he knew _exactly_ how Desi felt just minutes ago and he slowly turned to look at Mac... who was already staring at him. His blue eyes were wider than usually because of the alcohol and he was all disheveled... and so damn beautiful. Knowing that if he didn’t do something _right now_ it will be suspicious, Jack forced himself to push his feelings way back... and he leaned in, pressing their lips together.

To Jack’s complete shock, not only did Mac kiss him back... he didn’t pull away for several seconds, just like Riley with Desi and Matty with James. It didn’t seem like long enough for the others to notice something was afoot, though, and Jack pulled back in a daze. He reached out for his own spin without prompting, and this time he allowed himself to hope that the bottle would land on Mac. It landed on Riley, thought, but that meant he got another spin, and he reached for the bottle again. He watched it as it moved and tried not to make it too obvious that he was holding his breath. Eventually the bottle slowed down and stopped... landing on Mac.

Bozer let out a loud shout. “Damn! Two in a row! We’ve gotta apply some special rules for that one!”

Much to Jack’s panic—and Mac’s, judging by his wide eyes—everyone agrees. “Matilda, how about you come up with something?” Russ suggested, words slurring just a bit. “You’re particularly devious.”

“Hmm,” Matty mused, grinning wolfishly at Jack, and he just _knew_ he was screwed. “Two in a row _is_ unprecedented... how about you two go in the kitchen pantry for seven minutes in heaven?”

“What are we, middle schoolers?” Jack wondered aloud, sweat breaking out on his temples and under his arms at the thought of being trapped in such a small space with Mac for that long. Before he could protest further, however, Mac grabbed him by the elbow and dragged him up and toward the house. He fixed Matty with a death stare to distract himself. “I’m gonna get you back for this.”

Matty just blew him a kiss, still grinning, but Jack didn’t get a chance to respond because he was already inside the house. Mac hadn’t said anything and when they reached the kitchen pantry he pushed Jack in first before walking in after him and closing the door. “Mac,” Jack whispered, barely able to see him in the dark. “We don’t have to—”

He didn’t get to finish, though, because Mac pushed him against the shelves... and crashed their lips together. Jack made a muffled sound of surprise but kissed him back, because how could he not? He tentatively settled his hands on Mac’s hips, squeezing lightly, and he was rewarded for that touch with a nip to his lower lip. When they finally had to part for air, Jack nuzzled at his cheek, breathing in his smell... and also the stink of whiskey.

“Mac,” he said hoarsely, running one hand up his back to tangle it in his hair. “What are we doin’?”

“Making out,” Mac mumbled in response, nipping on Jack’s jaw before he pulled back to look at him, eyes wide and shining. “Unless... you don’t wanna?” he asked, words slurring a little, but his eyes were almost as clear as always. “But then they’re gonna make you run naked down the street... and I don’t think you’d like that.”

“I went streaking in high school,” Jack admitted, smiling when that made Mac snort out a laugh. “Not an experience I wanna repeat.”

He leaned in to kiss Mac again, fingers tangling in the smooth strands of his hair. The press of his lips was addictive, plush and velvety soft, and Jack just wanted to keep kissing him even if it made his chest ache for what he couldn’t have. But then again... was it possible he _could_ have it? Or was this all physical for Mac? He knew Mac being straight wasn’t a problem, but... was there a chance Mac could have the same feelings for Jack that Jack had for him? It was doubtful, because... why?

Mac was young and gorgeous, and could have anyone in the world—there was no reason he would be into Jack, an older guy whose only real talent was killing people. Mac moaning softly into his mouth broke him out of his thoughts and Jack held him tighter, their tongues sliding together so perfectly that the ache in his chest intensified because... this was just physical for Mac, nothing more. Jack had no idea how much time had passed, but all of a sudden the door to the pantry got thrown open.

They broke apart and Jack blinked in the sudden light, groaning when he saw Russ’s face. “Well, don’t you two look cozy,” he commented, grinning at them. “We’re all done with the game if you’d like to come out now.” He paused. “We’re all also a bit sauced, so would it be okay if we stayed over tonight, Angus?”

Mac blinked a few times, looking dazed, and Jack forced himself to slide his hand out of his hair. “Yeah, of course,” Mac eventually said, his voice hoarse in a way that went straight to Jack’s dick. “Let me grab you some... some pillows and blankets. I also have an air-mattress somewhere.” He stepped away from Jack and walked out of the pantry in search of the stuff he just mentioned, followed by Russ.

Closing his eyes, Jack took a few deep breaths and once he was sure his heart was locked up again, he stepped out to the kitchen... where he found Matty grinning at him. “And what are you so happy about?” Jack grumbled, glaring at her.

“Oh, nothing,” Matty replied, smacking his ass when he walked by her. “I didn’t know trying to get you two to come to your senses would be so much fun.”

“No idea what you’re talking about,” Jack said automatically, trying very hard not to watch Mac’s ass while he was digging in the closet with Russ to find the air mattress.

“Dalton, please,” Matty said, rolling her eyes. “How long have we known each other?”

“Too long,” Jack grumbled, and got smacked in the ass again. “Careful, Matty, or James is gonna be pretty heartbroken when he sees you spankin’ me like that.”

He smirked when Matty’s cheeks flushed pink, but she recovered quickly—she always did. “Why don’t you worry about your love life first?” she suggested, and sighed when Jack just stared at her blankly. “Tell him how you feel.”

“I don’t—” Jack started, but when Matty just glared at him he stopped and sighed. “Matty, I... don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” she asked, and... Jack didn’t have a good answer. “Look, it’s clear you’re torturing yourself over this. Why not just get it out in the open, especially since Mac is apparently _very_ interested in making out with you?”

“Mac is drunk,” Jack replied, lowering his voice to make sure no one overheard them. His chest continues aching and he couldn’t help but look at Mac again, the longing he felt making his heart clench painfully. “You know he doesn’t act like that when he’s sober.” Speaking of, Jack also wasn’t feeling sober, not at all, and he had to concentrate on making sure what he was saying made sense. “It’s just... whiskey and maybe some physical attraction... that’s it.”

Matty rolled her eyes. “You keep telling yourself that, Dalton.”

She wandered away and Jack distracted himself by throwing extra blankets on the couch and helping Desi make up the air mattress when Mac got it blown up. Once that happened, everybody said their goodnights... and Jack remembered that he and Mac were supposed to share Mac’s bed. He swallowed hard and followed Mac down the hall, wiping his suddenly damp palms against his jeans and praying he didn’t fuck this up.

He absently heard Riley offering Desi to share her bed in the guest room with her, but he was too nervous about Mac to be happy about their plan maybe working. It didn’t have to mean anything, friends share beds too, and right now Jack needed to focus on keeping himself together. He closed the door behind them once they walked into Mac’s bedroom and Jack tried to read Mac, see if he was acting weird... but it didn’t seem like it.

“You want something to sleep in or have you managed to track down some of your clothes?” Mac asked him, eyeing the boxes in the corner. “I think the bag you had with you in the morning is also somewhere in there.”

“No, I... I’m pretty sure I’ve got something,” Jack replied hastily, his voice cracking as he turned to hunt through the boxes.

He found a pair of pajama pants and a worn-out t-shirt—the latter of which he normally wouldn’t bother wearing, but since he was going to be sharing a bed with Mac he figured it was polite. When he looked next Mac was in the bathroom, so he figures it was safe to change, shucking off his clothes and boots. He put on the pajama pants first and it turned out to be a good choice because he barely finished pulling them up when Mac walked out of the bathroom.

“I forgot—oh sorry,” Mac said, his eyes widening as he stared at Jack’s bare chest... just like he did before they played basketball, only then Jack didn’t think much of it.

Before Jack could reply and tell him it was fine, Mac snatched his sweatpants from the chair and darted back into the bathroom. He slammed the door hard enough to make Jack flinch, and he pulled the shirt on over his head before he sat on the end of the bed. He rested his elbows on his thighs and put his head in his hands, squeezing his eyes shut as a headache began to pound at his temples. How did everything go so wrong so fast—and how the hell was he supposed to survive living with Mac after this?

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he barely noticed Mac was out of the bathroom until he was standing in front of him. “Jack? Are you okay?”

When Jack glanced up he found Mac looking him with concern in his eyes... and maybe there was still hope, maybe they didn’t destroy their friendship back in the kitchen pantry. “Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Jack said, rubbing his eyes and standing up. “My head is startin’ to bother me which means tomorrow’s gonna be even worse.” He gave Mac a weak smile, one that Mac surprisingly returned. “I’ll be right back,” he added, and headed to the bathroom, leaning against the closed door once he was in there and taking a deep breath.

He turned on the tap and dunked his whole head under cold running water, which succeeded in doing nothing to clear his head. Sighing, he took a towel off the rack and dried the water off his skin before using the toilet and brushing his teeth. Mac was considerate enough to leave him a toothbrush to use, and that was another sign that maybe everything wasn’t fucked up between them.

When he came back into the bedroom Mac was already in bed and under the covers, so Jack crawled in on the available side, trying to keep all his limbs to himself. Mac wasn’t asleep yet and he gave him a small smile before reaching to turn off the lights, the room drowning in darkness. Jack could hear quiet voices coming from the living room, but other than that they laid in silence, and at one point Jack thought Mac started drifting off, but his breathing wasn’t right for that.

“Hey, Jack?” Mac asked softly a moment later, and Jack hummed to show he was listening, his heart racing. “Have you... and Matty ever slept together?”

Jack should’ve known that was going to catch up with him. He groaned, bringing up a hand to rub at his face. “Yeah, we did,” he admitted, sighing a little. “It was a long time ago, a few years after Ethan got that deep cover assignment. Happened once, a heat of the moment thing—which was okay with me, because as much as I love Matty I didn’t feel like _that_ about her, you know? But... yeah.”

Mac was silent for a long time and Jack couldn’t help but wonder if him sleeping with Matty was a problem for some reason. “Okay,” Mac eventually said. “I... that’s what I thought, after you reacted the way you did when Riley made that comment.” He didn’t say anything else and Jack figured they were done with this weird conversation, but as always, Mac surprised him. “Why... why did you never tell me?”

Jack blinked. There was something he was missing but he couldn’t suss out what it was for the life of him. “I... don’t know,” he replied, rolling on to his side to face Mac. He was surprised again when he realized Mac was already looking at him, those bright eyes visible even in the shadows of his room. “It was a long time ago, right after Diane and I broke up... I guess I probably blocked it out because I associated it with that. I wasn’t... trying to keep it a secret or anything.”

“I know you weren’t,” Mac said softly, and Jack’s mind was working overtime trying to figure out what was happening right now. He understood Mac being curious, but there was something in his voice suggesting that there was more going on. “So even despite that you continued working together... and you work together now,” Mac continued after a moment, and Jack was even more confused. “So it is possible... to work with someone, then sleep with them... and then work together like nothing ever changed.”

Jack’s head was currently spinning, but he tried to make some sense of it. “Mac, is that about you and Desi?” he asked, because that would fit. “I’m sure you—”

“No, Jack,” Mac interjected. “It’s not about me and Desi.”

“Then what’s it about?” Jack asked, hearing the slight hysterical note in his own voice, but he couldn’t turn it off. “Because if it’s not about you and Desi, and it’s not about me and Matty, then... that doesn’t leave a lot of options.”

“I was sort of thinking it might be about... us,” Mac said, his voice gone low in a way that Jack had never heard before... and then Mac was moving, rolling on top of him underneath the covers, their faces only an inch or so apart. “Unless I got the wrong impression back in the pantry.”

Jack’s breath hitched and he weighed his options. He could say no and he was sure they would pretend this night never happened... or he could allow himself one moment of weakness, allow himself to have Mac like that once in his life before they move on. “You didn’t,” he whispered, the whole internal debate taking about two seconds, and before he could chicken out or think about anything else, Mac closed the distance between them and licked into his mouth.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So this is where things get really interesting... and also really messy. ;) **Note that much like the last chapter, while everything is consensual the characters are also under the influence of alcohol.** Enjoy!

Jack wrapped his arms around Mac’s slim frame and held on tight, one hand slipping up underneath the hem of his t-shirt to explore the smooth skin of his lower back. The kiss was slower than the ones inside the pantry but no less intense, and pretty soon Jack was gasping for air as Mac kissed across his cheek and jaw, nuzzling at his ear. “So,” he started, breath warm and damp against Jack’s skin. “What were you thinking about doing to me earlier?”

Jack groaned quietly because he’d been thinking about doing things to Mac for years now, but he assumed that by ‘earlier’ Mac meant back inside the pantry. “I was thinkin’ about laying you out on the bed and takin’ my sweet time exploring your body with my mouth,” he murmured, and... that was the truth, Mac didn’t need to know he’d been thinking about that _before_ today. “Drive you crazy until you’re beggin’ for more.”

Mac inhaled sharply when Jack rolled them over so he was on top, his arms coming up to circle Jack’s waist. “Yeah? That sounds good to me.” One of his hands rucked up Jack’s t-shirt while the other one slipped lower, giving his ass a squeeze as Mac flashed him a white-toothed grin. “As long as you don’t expect me to just lie there and take it.”

“I would never,” Jack replied, grinning back, and he leaned down to kiss Mac again, his heart pounding wildly.

He knew this was a terrible idea for so many reasons, but Mac was clearly on board with doing this and if Jack had a chance to be with him just this once—he was going to take it. He felt Mac spread his legs for Jack to settle between them, so Jack slid one hand down Mac’s side and gripped his thigh, hitching his leg over his hips to bring them even closer. Mac moaned into his mouth and Jack kissed him harder in response, his other hand tangling in Mac’s soft hair and tugging lightly.

If Jack was going to live up to his promise of driving Mac crazy with his mouth he needed to stop kissing him, but that was a tall order—Mac’s lips were addictive. Finally he pulled away but didn’t go far, kissing over Mac’s jaw to his neck. When he reached the birthmark that had captivated him for years he nuzzled at it before licking over the skin with his tongue. He groaned a little when he got to taste Mac’s skin, like an amplified version of that sunshine and ozone smell that followed him everywhere, and he knew he was ruined for anybody else.

Mac couldn’t know that, though, and that made Jack’s heart ache, so he distracted himself with sucking on the birthmark and relishing in the breathless sounds Mac was making. After a moment he moved lower to Mac’s neck and nipped at his gorgeous skin before he trailed his lips to Mac’s ear. “You think you can stay quiet?” he murmured, licking over the lobe before tugging it with his teeth. They were still under the covers and it felt... secretive and clandestine, Mac’s body warm underneath him... it was perfect.

“Mhmm, I can try,” Mac whispered, both his hands pushing up Jack’s t-shirt. “But only if you take this off.”

“I think that can be arranged,” Jack said, smiling against Mac’s neck before he moved the hand he had in his hair, slipping it under Mac’s shirt and feeling at his abs. “But I don’t think it’s fair to keep all this covered up.”

“You drive a hard bargain,” Mac said, amusement in his voice as they parted briefly to take off their shirts. His eyes roamed over Jack’s body, glittering as one of his hands moved to run over Jack’s chest and abs. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous.”

Jack felt his cheeks burn, but it was dark enough that Mac probably wouldn’t notice. He smirked and leaned down to give Mac another short, hard kiss before mouthing at his jaw. “Yeah? That must be the only good thing that came out of that mission,” he muttered, sliding lower and nipping at Mac’s collarbone and sucking a nice bruise into his skin. “I’m in ridiculously good shape.”

That earned him a strained chuckle from Mac, and his hands started exploring Jack’s back, fingertips mapping out his scars. He dropped his hands to the mattress when Jack’s lips found one of his nipples, sucking and licking over sensitive skin. He let out a quiet moan, fingers twisting in the bedsheets as Jack gave the other nipple the same attention before moving lower still. He took his time, just like he promised, kissing and licking over his skin, loving how Mac’s stomach twitched when he started mouthing at his abs.

Mac’s skin was pretty much flawless, no scars except for his shoulder, and he was so beautiful Jack could barely breathe. He ran his hands down his sides, fingertips skimming over his ribs, and he placed his forearms on either side of Mac’s hips, bracing himself as he started pressing soft kisses to Mac’s stomach, just above the waistband of his sweatpants. Mac was a writhing, panting mess underneath him, but he still wasn’t begging... and that just wouldn’t do.

Jack scraped his teeth along Mac’s hipbone and felt his thighs tense alongside his shoulders. “Jack, please,” he said softly, and it was more... of a request, but Jack would take it. He hooked his fingers in Mac’s sweatpants and tugged them down slowly, groaning when he realized Mac wasn’t wearing underwear underneath them. His skin was flawless here too, cock hard and curving up toward his belly, and Jack’s mouth watered when he saw it. He pulled on the sweatpants some more and moved so Mac could kick them off before he settled between his legs again, leaning in to lick over the head of his cock.

Mac inhaled sharply, his hands twisting in the bedsheets even tighter, and he moaned softly when Jack took the head into his mouth and sucked lightly. He wrapped his fingers around the base of his cock and slowly sank lower, Mac’s breathing was coming out in quick, short gasps. “Oh god,” he choked out when Jack took more of his cock into his mouth, and if Jack could he would smirk. Instead he looked up and knew Mac could see him despite the darkness because he moaned when Jack winks at him, and then he removed his fingers and took Mac’s entire cock down his throat.

It was just big enough to make breathing difficult when he swallowed around it, and that shouldn’t be as much of a turn-on as it was. Jack started up a steady rhythm, bobbing his head up and down, and pretty soon Mac was shuddering underneath him, one of his hands coming up to cup the back of Jack’s neck. “Fuck, that’s so good,” he whispered, legs shaking a little. A part of Jack could hardly believe that he was the one making Mac feel like that and say those things, but another part of him was totally caught up in how good this felt. His own cock is rock-hard inside his sweatpants, and he knew he could make Mac come like this.

But then... it would be over, unless Mac would like to go again after a while, and Jack probably wouldn’t get that lucky... but in the end it was up to Mac—Jack would take anything Mac was willing to give him. Mac’s fingers tightened around the back of his neck and he covered his mouth with his other hand, trying to muffle the sounds he was making that were getting higher whenever Jack swallowed around him. “J-Jack, Jack,” he whispered brokenly after a moment, and Jack immediately stilled, looking up to meet Mac’s gaze. “I... I don’t want this to end too soon. Come back up here.”

Jack obliged him, pulling off Mac’s cock with an audible pop and crawling back up his body, mouthing over his jaw before he was dragged into a kiss. Mac moaned when he tasted himself on Jack’s tongue and drew him closer, squeezing the back of his neck with one hand and his ass with the other. “Want you to fuck me,” he mumbled against Jack’s lips, and at first Jack was sure he misheard him. “Been thinking about it forever.”

Jack’s breath hitched because... forever? That didn’t necessarily mean anything, but it could also mean that maybe... maybe this wasn’t just the heat of the moment thing for Mac. “Fuck, yes,” he muttered, biting down on Mac’s lower lip, shivering when he imagined how amazing Mac was going to feel around his cock. One they broke apart Mac grinned up at him and slid his hands lower to push down Jack’s pajama pants, making an approving sound when he realized Jack didn’t put any underwear on either.

Jack made an educated guess and reached for Mac’s nightstand drawer, pulling it open and searching blindly until he found a bottle of lube and a strip of condoms. He tried very hard not to think about the fact that Mac probably bought these items to use with Desi and kicked his pants off instead. They were both deliciously naked now, hard cocks pressed together, and Jack’s hips jolted a little when he felt Mac’s long fingers wrap around him, stroking experimentally. “You’re just as big as I thought you’d be,” Mac purred near his ear, and Jack’s brain shut off for a moment. “I can’t wait to get you inside me.”

Jack couldn’t hold back the growl that escaped from his throat and he pressed their lips together in a hard, hungry kiss that was mostly tongues and teeth. Mac whined impatiently, spreading his legs even wider, and Jack smirked against his lips. “Someone’s eager,” he mumbled, and reached for the lube, happily realizing it was brand new... but then he wondered if Mac used it so much with Desi that he had to get a new one.

Forcing himself to stop thinking about Desi, he poured some lube on his fingers and slid his hand lower between Mac’s legs, circling his entrance with one finger teasingly. Mac sucked in a sharp breath when Jack pushed that first finger inside him slowly, his hands coming up to frame Jack’s face as he kissed him again. He shivered and drew his knees up to give Jack more room to work, his finger sliding in all the way the more he moved it back and forth. He slipped a second one in alongside the first when it was clear that Mac was relaxed enough for it, reveling in the little sigh he let out and the way his fingernails scraped at Jack’s shoulders when he shifted his grip.

Mac was incredibly hot and tight around Jack’s fingers, and he pushed them in deeper, curling them just a bit... and Mac gasped loudly, arching off the mattress when Jack found his prostate. “Shhh,” Jack murmured, pressing his lips against Mac’s throat, nipping on his delicate skin as he moved his fingers in and out of him, getting him ready for his cock.

“Easy... for you to say,” Mac panted out in response to Jack’s shushing, but he did keep his voice down. “You don’t have fingers in your ass.” Jack snorted quietly and slipped a third finger in for good measure, because the last thing he wanted to do in all of this was make Mac uncomfortable. He moved those in a mimicry of fucking for a minute, until Mac whined softly in his ear. “Jack, _please_. I’m ready.”

“Okay, okay,” Jack murmured, kissing Mac again as he removed his fingers. Everything about this felt surreal to him and a part of him was still convinced he must be dreaming, but Mac was very real underneath him, gorgeous and panting, and all ready for Jack. He reached for the condoms and felt a pang in his chest because those weren’t as brand new as the lube since the strip was way too short. He knew he was being ridiculous and unnecessarily jealous, but he couldn’t help—”

He was distracted by Mac’s breath hitching. “You... you had your physical during your debriefs, right?” he asked in a whisper, looking at Jack with eyes dark with arousal.

Jack’s brow furrowed. “Yeah, I did. Why?”

“Because I just had mine,” Mac replied, one of his hands moving to cup Jack’s cheek, thumb rubbing over his cheekbone in an oddly intimate gesture. “And we don’t need a condom if you don’t want one.”

Jack went stock still for a moment before he tossed the strip aside, leaning in to kiss Mac until he was breathless. He wanted so badly to tell him how he really felt, but he was afraid that if he did this would end before it even started. He grabbed the lube and slicked himself up, lining up against Mac’s entrance and kissing him again, this time more tenderly. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” Mac said softly, and there was something in his voice that Jack couldn’t quite read, but Mac’s arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him closer, so it didn’t seem like he wanted them to stop.

Swallowing, Jack gave Mac another kiss before he buried his face in his neck and slowly started pushing in. His cock was immediately surrounded by the almost overwhelming heat, and Jack groaned softly, moving until he bottomed out. He shook a little with how good it felt, and he heard that Mac’s breathing had gone ragged and uneven. Jack had had his fair share of sex, but it’d never felt this _right_ , close and warm and safe in a way that Jack wasn’t used to at all. He got one arm underneath Mac’s body to keep him close, his other hand snaking its way back into Mac’s hair, and he forced himself to stay still until Mac relaxed underneath him again.

“You can move, Jack,” Mac whispered, and Jack exhaled shakily, slowly drawing his hips back and pushing them back inside Mac. Mac gasped softly, his fingers digging into Jack’s shoulder blades and he hooked one leg over Jack’s hips, changing the angle a little. They both moaned and Jack set up a slow pace, tentatively thrusting in and out of Mac’s perfect body, groaning at how good it felt.

 _I love you, so damn much_ , Jack said in his head, tightening his arm around Mac and kissing his neck. “You feel so damn good,” was what he said out loud, swearing under his breath when Mac clenched around him, thrusting up to meet Jack in the middle.

“You do too,” Mac gasped out, and from anyone else Jack would think that was just a platitude or they couldn’t think of anything else to say. But with Mac... he knew it was hard for him to express how he felt sometimes, and if he said something he generally meant it literally.

Jack whimpered when he found Mac’s prostate and felt his entire body jolt with pleasure, rocking his hips back and forth into that exact spot as many times as he could. Mac let out a muffled cry and he pulled Jack even closer to bury his face in his shoulder, biting down when Jack picked up the pace and his thrusts got harder. It hurt, but it only spurred Jack on and he was completely fine with Mac biting him to stay quiet, and he focused on pounding into him, slowly feeling his control slipping away.

He was getting close, heat pooling low in his stomach, but he needed to see and feel Mac come before he did. He shifted enough to nip at Mac’s earlobe before speaking into his ear. “Want you to come for me, beautiful,” he rumbled out, thrusts getting harder and more brutal. He came close to using an endearment but avoided it at the last second. “Come on, I know you can do it without me touching you.”

Mac let out another sharp cry, clinging to Jack even tighter, his breath hot on Jack’s skin. Jack didn’t slow down and kept slamming into Mac fast and hard, and a moment later Mac bit down on his shoulder hard enough to draw blood, moaning brokenly as he came, clenching around Jack as he spurted between their bodies. Jack made a sound that was half-growl, half-shout, burying his face in Mac’s throat to try and muffle it as his shoulder throbbed in time with his cock. He came after a few more thrusts into Mac’s tight heat, spilling inside him and filling him with come as his hips continued to twitch forward.

He collapsed on top of Mac a moment later, gasping for air and ignoring the sudden urge to cry. Now that it was over... was Mac going to make him lick his wounds alone? He wasn’t pushing him away yet, in fact... Jack felt Mac’s arms tighten around him, even once his legs fell back down on the mattress. His hand started stroking his back a moment later and Jack closed his eyes, letting himself believe for a few seconds that what they did was more than just a fuck, that Mac returned feelings and this wasn’t the only time Jack got to be with him like that.

“Oh shit,” Mac said, and Jack braced himself for words that were going to hurt worse than any physical injury could. “You’re bleeding.” He went still because... what? But then Mac was wriggling out from underneath him, hissing when Jack’s softened cock slipped from his body, and he headed into the bathroom on slightly wobbly legs. He came back with a gigantic first aid kit—one of Bozer’s purchases, no doubt—and crawled back into the bed, opening it up. “I didn’t realize I bit you that hard, I’m sorry.”

“It’s... it’s okay,” Jack replied after a small delay, a little dazed by the fact that... that they were okay, at least for now. “To be fair, I did tell you to be quiet.”

“Doesn’t mean I had act like a vampire,” Mac pointed out, and when their gazes met, Mac gave him a tiny smile that Jack couldn’t help but return. Mac shifted closer and gently tugged Jack up by his arms until he sat up. “I need to clean it, so it doesn’t get infected.”

“Didn’t you tell me once that the human mouth is one of the germiest places on earth?” Jack said, leaning back against the headboard. He made a surprised sound when Mac straddled his thighs, turning on the bedside lamp before he sprayed the marks left behind by his teeth with disinfectant. It stung but Jack barely noticed, too caught up in the fact that he could see every freckle on Mac’s face from this distance.

“I did,” Mac confirmed, his smile widening. “Didn’t think you were listening.”

“I’m always listening to you,” Jack said softly, maybe _too_ softly, but he couldn’t help it. “I might complain or be busy shooting... something, but I’m always listening.”

Mac looked up at him in surprise, something... emotional flashing in his eyes, and then he reached for a dressing to put on Jack’s shoulder. “That’s... nice to know,” he said after a delay, like he needed time to process the words. He stuck the dressing on Jack’s shoulder and smoothed it out, his touch lingering for longer than it needed to. Vulnerability showed on Mac’s face, and he leaned in to kiss Jack’s cheek. “You can relax... I’m not kicking you out.” A sad excuse for a smile. “I’ve had that done to me before, I know how it feels.”

“I wasn’t—” Jack started, but stopped when Mac gave him a pointed look. He smiled a little and actually did relax, his heart fluttering even though Mac’s probably just being nice... like friends were, nothing more. He ignored the anger coiling low in his stomach at the thought of someone kicking Mac out of their bed after sex, even though he wished he could kill every person that hurt him like that. After a moment Mac gave him another smile and moved to slide off Jack’s lap and before he knew what he’s doing, Jack grabbed his hips to stop him. Mac looked at him in surprise and Jack swallowed, forcing himself not to blurt out something stupid. “Hey, you... you okay?” he asked softly. “I didn’t hurt you, right?”

Mac’s brow furrowed and he put his hands on Jack’s shoulders, one thumb stroking over his collarbone. “What? No, of course you didn’t.” He swallowed hard, blinking and glancing away. “I just wish...” He shut his eyes and shook his head a little. “Nevermind.”

“What is it?” Jack asked right away. It was clear something was on Mac’s mind, something he thought Jack wouldn’t like to hear, and the last thing Jack wanted was for them to go back like they were before he left.

“Nothing important,” Mac said, giving Jack a wide smile that seemed genuine... but Jack’s gut was telling him something was off. “Come on, we should get some sleep,” he added, sliding off Jack’s lap. “Or the hangover is gonna be even worse in the morning.”

The mention of the alcohol they both had made Jack feel even worse because it reminded him that nothing like that would probably happen if they were sober. “Mac?” he asked hesitantly as they both laid down, and waited for Mac to look at him. “Are we... okay?”

To Jack’s surprise and relief, Mac pressed a kiss to his lips, sweet and chaste. “Yeah, of course,” he murmured, curling up on his side, blond hair fanned out on the pillow. “Goodnight, Jack.”

“Goodnight, Mac,” Jack replied, and watched as his eyes close and his breathing slowed. Eventually the rhythm of Mac’s exhalations lulled Jack to sleep too, peaceful and dreamless for the first time in two years.

~***~

The first thing Mac became aware of when he woke up was the pounding headache, making him feel like there was a gremlin with a hammer running around his head. The next thing he noticed was that despite that, he felt relatively well rested and surprisingly comfortable... and that was also when he realized that his pillow was warmer than usually and it was _moving_. He pried his eyes open, wincing when his eyelashes stuck together. Squinting in the glare from the sunlight filtering in through the curtains, he glanced around and discovered his head was on Jack’s chest. His strong arms were wrapped around Mac’s body and he was snoring lightly near Mac’s ear, his breath making his hair flutter as his chest raised and lowered.

Everything that happened last night came back to him—the game and the kissing, then making out in the pantry... and then sex. Mac closed his eyes, making sure to remember every detail, how Jack’s lips felt against his, how he tasted and how he touched him, gentle and strong at the same time. He swallowed hard because while it was... fantastic and mind-blowing, he couldn’t help but wonder if he hadn’t destroyed everything between them—he was the one that initiated it, after all.

That last thought was enough to make his stomach turn, and then he was yanking himself out of Jack’s grasp and running for the bathroom. He made it just in time and fell to his knees in front of the toilet, vomiting up what felt like everything he was ever eaten. It didn’t stop right away and only made his head hurt worse, tears building in his eyes without his consent. He squeezed them shut, knowing that if he started crying he wouldn’t stop any time soon, and he couldn’t let Jack know anything was wrong.

Unfortunately it seemed Mac’s lunging out of bed woke him up, because a moment later he heard a soft footsteps in the bedroom getting closer, followed by a sympathetic sound right behind him a moment later. “Aww, buddy,” Jack murmured, and stepped closer, flushing the toilet and rubbing Mac’s back, and Mac absently noticed that Jack put his pajama pants back on. “Mixing beer with whiskey is never a good idea.”

“Yeah, that was pretty stupid,” Mac agreed, wiping off his mouth with the back of his hand. He swallowed hard when Jack put his hands on his shoulders and tugged him back to lean against his chest. “How do you feel?”

“Like shit,” Jack deadpanned, and then he hesitated. “I... could use a shower. But I’ll let you go first if you want.”

A part of Mac wanted to suggest they could take a shower together, but that was... that was too domestic, too intimate, and Jack surely wouldn’t want that. He knew last night when he rolled on top of Jack that it would nothing, that it was just sex, but being aware of it didn’t make his heart hurt any less. “No, go ahead,” Mac told Jack, trying to ignore the warmth coming off his body. “Let me just brush my teeth and then the bathroom is yours.”

“Okay,” Jack said quietly, and stood up, grabbing Mac under the arms and pulling him to his feet. “You good?”

“Yeah,” Mac mumbled, rubbing a hand over his face and willing himself not to cry. He grabbed his toothbrush and stared down at the sink while he cleaned his teeth. After he spat he turned toward the door, keeping his eyes aimed toward the floor so he didn’t get distracted by Jack’s chest. Once he was back in the bedroom he was faced with the bed, the sheets stained with evidence of what they did, and he knew he should change them... but he sank down on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands instead.

He took a few deep breaths and even though his eyes filled with tears, he managed not to start sobbing. What the hell was he thinking last night? He wasn’t, that was the only answer, and he cursed himself to hell and back. While the alcohol might have made him bolder, he was in control of his actions, so he couldn’t blame the whiskey and if this blew back in his face... it would be Mac’s fault and no one else’s. Thankfully so far it seemed he and Jack were okay—Jack didn’t run away and he acted... normally just now, so if Mac could only get his shit together, maybe there was some hope left for them.

He didn’t know how long he sat there, but the water turned off and Jack emerged from the bathroom with a towel around his waist. He needed to get up, to move to the closet in the hall and get the sheets... but he didn’t. “Mac?” Jack’s voice asked, a note of worry in his tone. He came closer and crouched down in front of him, one hand touching his bare knee. “You okay?”

Mac glanced up and looked into Jack’s eyes, warm and beautiful, and currently concerned. “Yeah, I am,” he replied quietly, rubbing his eyes. “Just... hungover, I guess. My head is killing me.”

Jack looked at him without saying anything and for a moment Mac thought he was going to call him out on it... but then he smiled and stood up, patting his shoulder. “I feel you,” he murmured. “How about some bacon and black coffee? It should make you feel better.” The fact that Jack was still trying to take care of him almost made Mac cry again, but he held the tears back and turned his gaze away when Jack dropped the towel to get dressed. “I wonder if the others are already awake,” Jack said a moment later, and Mac’s eyes widened—he completely forgot the entire team stayed over.

“I... don’t know,” Mac replied, grabbing his shirt and sweatpants off the floor and putting them on quickly. “Guess I’ll go find out.” He hurried out of the room before Jack’s done getting dressed, needing some space.

He almost ran headfirst into Desi, who was heading toward the kitchen too. “Hey, boy wonder,” she said... and then smirked, her eyes fixed on his neck. “Nice hickey.”

Mac froze because he didn’t realize Jack left any visible bruises—he knew there was one on his collarbone, covered by the shirt, but he thought his neck was fine. His breath hitched and his eyes filled with tears again, he couldn’t help it, and he suddenly felt he couldn’t breathe.

“Fuck,” he heard Desi mutter, and then he was being tugged somewhere... the guest room he realized after a moment. “Riley’s in the bathroom,” Desi explained, watching him worriedly. “What—”

“Can you hide it?” Mac interjected quietly, staring at the floor. “You have your makeup stuff with you?”

“Yeah, I do,” Desi replied slowly, still hanging on to his wrist like she was afraid he’d run away... which didn’t sound like a half-bad idea at this point. “Mac, what the hell?”

“I... I fucked up, Dez,” Mac whispered, using his free hand to swipe angrily at his wet eyes. “We were drunk and I... I pushed too hard and we slept together and now nothing’s ever going to be the same, I don’t know what to do—”

“Hey, hey, easy,” Desi said quietly, her voice soothing, and it was funny that now that they weren’t dating, they were suddenly able to talk without yelling at each other. “You both wanted it, right? Did Jack do anything to make you feel like that in the morning or—”

“No, no, nothing like that,” Mac interjected softly. “He... acted normally. Like nothing ever happened, but I... I don’t know if I can just forget about it.”

“So why don’t you tell him how you feel?” Desi asked, and Mac almost laughed—if it were that easy, he would’ve done it years ago. Something must show in his face, because Desi chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment. “Look, I realize it’s not any of my business... but unlike you and me, you and Jack can actually have a conversation about your feelings.” She smiled wryly. “Besides, if the sex was that good, do you really _want_ to forget about it?”

“How do you know it was good?” Mac asked, needing some kind of distraction, and Desi rolled her eyes before giving him a pointed look. “Of course I don’t want to forget about it,” he said after a moment. “But I don’t wanna lose him and if... if that was a one-time thing for him, then so be it.” He exhaled shakily and blinked a few times, not wanting to tear up again. “Look, I’m... I don’t want everyone to know, so... please, cover it up?”

Desi looked like she wanted to protest but thought better of it. “If that’s what you really want,” she said, and dug through her purchases from the day before until she came out with a tube of concealer. She dabbed some on over the hickey that was visible and blended it out with her fingers until it disappeared. “There you go, all set. Just... think about what I said, okay?”

Mac nodded because he knew that otherwise she wouldn’t let it go and then he headed for the door. “Thanks, Dez,” he said softly, and then he walked out into the hallway.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! The two halves of a whole idiot also known as MacDalton FINALLY get their shit together in this chapter! Enjoy!

Mac headed to the kitchen and almost choked when he glanced at the air mattress... where Russ was spooning Bozer from behind, snoring loudly. His dad and Matty were on the couch—together which was something Mac was too preoccupied to think about—already awake and sitting up, watching Russ and Bozer in amusement. “Jesus,” Mac muttered. “How drunk were we?”

James and Matty both snickered, and Jack commented from behind Mac, “Pretty drunk if we were playing spin the bottle.”

A glance over his shoulder told Mac he was wearing old jeans and a faded Metallica t-shirt, looking like every wet dream Mac had ever had. He put distance between them under the guise of making coffee, nodding toward Bozer and Russ. “Could be worse.”

“Oh no, no matter how drunk I was, I’d never cuddle with Taylor,” Jack said, making a face, and Matty and James chuckled this time.

Mac smiled because it would be weird if he didn’t and a moment later Riley and Desi joined them, freezing and then laughing when they noticed Russ and Bozer. Mac saw Desi glance between him and Jack, but she didn’t say anything and he hoped she wouldn’t.

“So, what’s for breakfast?” Riley asked once she caught her breath.

“Well, I vaguely recall Jack promising bacon,” Mac said, proud of himself for keeping his voice steady. “Question is if he’s gonna deliver.”

Jack made an indignant sound, stepping around behind Mac to get to the fridge. “Excuse me, have I ever promised you bacon and not delivered?”

“Well, there was that one time in Cuba,” Mac started, smiling when Jack sputtered. “And you can’t use getting shot at as an excuse, that happens all the time.”

“We got shot at in _three_ separate restaurants that day, dude,” Jack said, shaking his head a little as he brushed by Mac again with fistfuls of eggs and bacon. “Now what am I making to go with the bacon? Just eggs, or do y’all want pancakes?”

They all exchanged looks and then said in unison, “Pancakes.”

Jack rolled his eyes, but he was smiling, and he reached to one of the cabinets to grab the flour, knowing where Mac kept everything, even though it’d been two years. “Knew y’all were gonna say that,” he muttered, glancing at the air mattress when Russ snored loudly again. “Someone wake up the Sleeping Beauties? Or I may shoot Taylor if he keeps snoring like that.”

“Hang on,” Matty said, getting up from the couch and walking up to Russ and Bozer with her phone. She snapped a few pictures and grinned. “Okay, wake them up.”

Riley grinned too, leaning down to shake both of their shoulders. “Guys, wake up, it’s the zombie apocalypse!”

She cackled when they both sat up and screamed at the idea of zombies, then screamed again when they realized they were tangled up like a couple of lovers. That thought made Mac’s attempt at a good mood sour, and he busied himself with finishing up the coffee and getting mugs out of the dishwasher. He was acutely aware that bending down like this pressed his ass against Jack’s thigh, but there wasn’t a lot he could do about that.

“Bozer, what the hell are you doing?” Russ yelled as he scrambled away from Bozer who stared at him with wide eyes, also jumping back.

“Me? You’re the one cuddling me! Oh _no_.” Bozer looked around in horror. “Please tell me no one—”

“Of course we took pictures, Bozer,” Matty said, and grinned sweetly. “And if you want to try to steal _my_ phone to delete them...” Her grinned turns wolfish, all teeth. “Good luck with that.”

Bozer audibly gulped and so did Russ, and Mac shook his head, rolling his eyes. “I’m gonna set this up outside,” he told... well, everyone, and grabbed the plates and mugs, hoping he didn’t trip on his way to the deck.

“Wait, let me help you,” his dad said, jumping up from the couch and grabbing a few mugs when they dangerously wobbled on the pile Mac was carrying.

“Thanks,” Mac said, offering James a sidelong smile. He was trying to be diplomatic even though their relationship was still rocky, mostly because with this whole mess with Jack he didn’t think he could handle any more upheaval.

They made it outside and set the table in silence until James spoke, hesitant and halting, like he was afraid Mac would react badly. “Son, I know that... things have been bad between us for a while now, and I’d like to try to fix that if I can, but... is something else wrong? You seem tense.”

Mac’s hands trembled, the plates he held clattering a little, and he cursed internally. He hoped it wasn’t visible, but if his dad picked up on it, he probably wasn’t doing a great job trying to hide that he wasn’t fine. He exhaled shakily before taking a deep breath, knowing that if he said he didn’t want to talk about it, his dad would probably drop it... or maybe he wouldn’t. “It’s... complicated,” he eventually said, finishing setting the plates, and he rubbed his eyes tiredly with his hand.

His dad’s hand settled on his shoulder, and the next thing Mac knew he was getting steered over to the unlit fire pit. They sat down, and when he glanced at James he saw concern in his face. “Angus... obviously you aren’t under any obligation to tell me what’s wrong,” he started, clearly choosing his words carefully. “But... maybe it would help to talk it out with someone.”

Mac thought about Desi and how he could have talked more about it with her... but there was too much history between them and Mac didn’t feel like talking about Jack with his ex, no matter how amicably they split up. His dad, however... he would probably be objective and would tell Mac exactly how badly he fucked up. “I slept with Jack,” Mac said, not pulling any punches, deciding that if they were going to talk about it, he wasn’t going to be the only one uncomfortable.

James blinked. “Okay? Did it... not go well?” His expression darkened. “Or was that something Dalton was only interested in because he was drunk? Do I need to shoot him?”

Mac didn’t know what his face looked like in that moment, but he was sure his expression was quite comical—whatever he’d expected his dad’s reaction to be, it wasn’t that. “No, we... it was good,” he said, tripping over his words. “And Jack hasn’t acted badly, it’s just... I... I’m in love with him, Dad. I have been for a long time. And he doesn’t know.”

“I started to think I’d never hear you say those words out loud,” James said, and... what? The confusion Mac felt must show on his face because James rolled his eyes. “Come on, Angus, you were never very subtle about it. And back when we were doing... better I planned on doing some kind of intervention, but then Dalton left. And then you got together with Desi, so I figured that ship had sailed.”

Mac stared at him for a while longer before sighing. “Anyway...” he started, turning his gaze away and looking at the fire pit. “I... I initiated it last night. I was drunk and after what happened in the pantry, I—” He cut off, his entire face burning. “It was a mistake because for him it was just sex. One time thing that happened because we were drunk.”

James shook his head as soon as Mac was done speaking. “I have to disagree with you,” he said, and if Mac was shocked before he was completely dumbfounded now. “Jack’s been an operative for a long time, and he’s no stranger to a one-night stand, you’re right. But Angus, you’d have to be blind _and_ dumb to not see how much that man cares about you. That kiss that you two shared during spin the bottle last night went on for _way_ too long, and the way he’s been looking at you this morning...” He trailed off. “What you decide to do is up to you, but I think you should tell him. He might surprise you.”

“I might also tell me that he’s sorry, but he doesn’t feel like that about me,” Mac said, swallowing hard and staring at his hands as he started twisting his fingers. “And then it’s gonna be too awkward for us to work together... and I’m gonna lose him again.” He sighed. “You’re right, he does care about me... but not like that. He... he would’ve said something, right? Maybe not last night, but this morning, and he... he acted like nothing happened.”

“Unless he’s having the same problem you are,” James suggested. When Mac’s brows drew down in confusion, he sighed. “Okay, put yourself in Jack’s shoes. Let’s say for the sake of argument that he has romantic feelings for you _and_ was affected by the alcohol last night—he probably slept with you because he thought it was the only time he’d get to do it... and I’m just realizing what an awkward conversation this is to have with my son.” He rubbed his forehead. “But anyway, he might not have said anything for the same reason you don’t want to say anything to him—he’s afraid of losing you.”

Mac let out a hysterical chuckle because this _was_ awkward, and if someone told him he would ever talk with his dad about sex, he would laugh. “Hey, you wanted to try and fix things between us,” he pointed out, smiling weakly. “Awkward conversations are the best for that.”

“I’m not complaining,” James said, gently patting Mac’s back. ““And like I said, in the end it’s up to you—but at least consider talking to him? Otherwise you will go back to how you were before he left—yes, that was also noticeable and pretty painful to watch.”

Mac blinked in surprise again and opened his mouth to say... something, but didn’t get a chance. “Hey, guys?” Matty’s voice sounded from the inside, and James’s eyes widened which was... interesting. “The food is ready and judging by how Taylor is staring at it, if you don’t get here soon, he will devour all of it.”

“Okay, we’re coming!” Mac called, and they both stood. Before they went in to help the others bring out food and coffee, though, Mac put his hand on James’s shoulder. “Hey, Dad? Thanks for listening.”

“Of course,” James said softly, and they headed inside.

~***~

Sure enough, Russ was looking over all the food like he was planning on stealing it, at least until Desi hip-checked him out of the way. “Easy, Taylor, don’t drool on everything,” she teased, and they all grabbed platters and went back out to the deck.

Jack made pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, and hash browns, and Mac would think it was a ridiculous amount of food except he’d seen how his friends ate. They all sat at the table and started putting the food on their plates, and Matty almost stabbed Russ when he tried to grab too much bacon, leaving none for her. She must have kicked him though, because he whined while Matty just smiled, putting the bacon on her plate. Once they started eating, Mac held back a moan because the food was _delicious_ , just like always, and now he remembered exactly how much he missed Jack’s cooking.

“Oh bloody hell,” Russ said, his mouth full of eggs. “I’m gonna deny it on my deathbed, but this is fucking amazing.” Jack smirked smugly and Russ pointed his finger at him. “Shut up, Dalton.”

“I didn’t say a word,” Jack told him, still smirking, his thigh pressed against Mac’s because they were sitting next to each other on the bench. “But I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should, this is great,” James commented, taking a long sip off his coffee. “Especially after a hangover.”

Something occurred to Mac and his eyes got huge. “Wait, Dad—should you have been drinking last night? What about the cancer?”

James smiled at him. “I... was going to tell you earlier last night, but then it didn’t seem like the right time after the whiskey joined the party,” he said, and then exchanged a look with Matty. “It seems like the cancer is gone... at least for now.”

Mac felt his lips part in shock and he knew Jack was looking at him, no doubt remembering their conversation about James. “That’s... that’s really great, Dad,” he said softly, his heart feeling a bit lighter.

“Yeah, that’s awesome news!” Bozer exclaimed. “And it calls for celebration!”

“As long as it doesn’t involve alcohol, that’s fine with me,” Riley said, rubbing at her temple. “I don’t think I’ll look at whiskey the same way for a while.”

“What about pizza and skee ball?” Mac suggested, and that earned him some smiles and nods. “Okay, how about after breakfast everybody goes home to shower and change, then we meet up at the usual spot?”

“Excuse me, where’s the usual spot?” Russ asked, and then an odd look passed over his face. “Unless I’m not invited, of course.”

“You are, don’t be stupid,” James said, rolling his eyes, and then leaned closer and explained where Pizza Paradise was.

Everyone else continued eating and divided into smaller groups to chat, and Mac felt it when Jack turned in his seat. “Hey, you alright?” he asked quietly, and Mac glanced at him... which was a mistake because Jack was looking at him with a warm gaze that made Mac’s fragile control on his emotions start slipping.

“Not really,” Mac admitted, glancing away when Jack’s eyes got bigger. “Could we talk? Maybe not here?”

“Sure,” Jack murmured, and they got up to take their dishes inside. Once those were put away, Jack motioned with his head toward the front door and they went out to sit on the retaining wall near the basketball hoop, just like yesterday. “What’s up?”

Mac sighed. “You know what this is about,” he said quietly, because there was no way Jack didn’t put two and two together and realize what Mac wanted to discuss. “It’s about... what happened last night. I—”

“Hey, Mac, I get it,” Jack interjected, and his voice sounded... off. “We had too much to drink and after the game and the pantry we got carried away.” It all seemed like something Jack learned by heart, like he... rehearsed it before saying it. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine,” Mac said, staring out at the basketball court and the street beyond it. “And... I need to tell you why.” He took a deep breath and let it out in a shuddering exhale, twisting his fingers together in his lap anxiously. “Jack, I... I know you probably think that was just a one-time thing... but I don’t want it to be.”

Jack was quiet for a moment and when he spoke again Mac could tell he was frowning in confusion. “So you... you wanna make it a... regular thing? Like a friends with benefits kinda thing? Because I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“No, no, I—” Mac made a frustrated sound, running his fingers through his hair and tugging painfully. “This is all coming out wrong.” He felt his eyes fill with tears again and he swallowed down hard. “I didn’t mean... just sex.”

Jack made a relieved sound and grabbed Mac’s face with both hands, pulling him in for a kiss. “Oh thank god,” he mumbled against Mac’s mouth, pulling back enough to look him in the eyes. “Because I’ve been in love with you for years now and I don’t think I could pretend I wasn’t after last night.”

Mac stared at him with wide eyes, his hands automatically going to grip Jack’s wrists. “You... have?” he breathed out, disbelief in his voice, his brain refusing to work, but Mac couldn’t really blame it. All the walls he built around himself since last night crumble down and he finally let the tears fall. “I love you too,” he whispered shakily. “I thought... I thought I ruined everything last night.”

“No, baby,” Jack whispered, the endearment falling out of his mouth like it was the most natural thing in the world. His thumbs wiped away the tears on Mac’s cheek as he leaned in to kiss him again. “You didn’t ruin anything... and let me remind you, it takes two to tango. I was right there with you... and I was dying on the inside the whole time, because I figured that it didn’t mean the same thing to you that it did to me.”

“Then why didn’t... why didn’t you stop me?” Mac asked softly, loosening his death grip on Jack’s wrists.

“Because I was being selfish,” Jack said, smiling sadly. He wrapped one arm around Mac’s waist and slid the other one under Mac’s legs, making him squeal in surprise when he hoisted him up until he was sitting in his lap. “I figured that... if that was the only chance I’d get to be with you like that, I was gonna take it.”

Mac wrapped his arms around Jack’s neck, pressing their foreheads together... and then he blurted out, “I can’t believe my dad was right.”

Jack raised his eyebrows. “You talked to your dad about... about us?”

“He didn’t give me much of a choice,” Mac replied, nuzzling at Jack’s stubbled cheek just because he could. “And he thought that you probably felt the same way I did... but just like me, you were too scared to say anything.” He went willingly when Jack hugged him, planting a kiss behind his ear and sighing as he relaxed into his embrace. “You think we can get out of pizza and skee ball? As much as I love the others... I’d rather spend some time with you.”

“Yeah, we can figure somethin’ out,” Jack murmured, one hand sliding up Mac’s back and tangling in his hair. “I’m sure your old man will understand... especially since you told him about us.”

“Yeah, he wanted to shoot you,” Mac whispered, smiling when Jack tensed. “He could tell I was upset and when I told him I slept with you at first he thought that maybe you were only interested because you were drunk.”

Jack winced, his other hand squeezing Mac’s waist. “That’s... actually not that surprising,” he said, and Mac didn’t like the dejected, resigned note in his voice. “When I worked for the CIA, I had a... reputation. Did a lot of honeypot assignments... and I was damn good at them too.” He swallowed hard. “But Mac, I never... I wanted you from the second I saw you with my gun, even though I thought you were an annoying little shit. I never wanted you to think... that that was _all_ I wanted, though.”

“I did think that today when I woke up,” Mac admitted quietly, and Jack made a pained sound. “But not because of your reputation or anything!” he rushed to add. “I just... I knew I initiated things last night and I just thought that you went along with because you were... well, horny.” His face was burning again, he couldn’t help. “Even after finding out you’re into guys yesterday, I never considered you having any feelings for me.”

Jack groaned and buried his face in Mac’s neck. “We’re idiots,” he muttered, and Mac made a sound of agreement. “But... does it bother you? What I used to do?”

“The only thing that bothers me is the way you think about yourself because of it,” Mac said, turning his head enough to kiss his temple. “You’re so much more than that, Jack.”

He felt Jack exhale shakily against his neck, his breath warm and damp on his skin. “It’s hard to believe that sometimes,” he mumbled.

Mac hugged him tighter. “I’ll keep saying that as long as I have to,” he murmured into Jack’s ear. They sat in silence for a moment and Mac let himself enjoy being close to Jack, the fact that they could actually be together slowly sinking in. “Desi also knows about us,” he eventually said, and Jack tensed again. “She... she called me out on having feelings for you back at her apartment, and I ran into her in the hall this morning.” He sighed. “I wasn’t... doing well and I also had a huge hickey on my neck.”

Jack leaned back enough to look at the spot where Mac’s birthmark should be and thumbed the makeup away. “Sorry about that,” he said when he saw the sizable bruise he left behind. “I... I don’t have a problem with everybody knowing about us, darlin’. We can tell them... unless _you’ve_ got a problem with it.”

“No, no, of course I don’t,” Mac quickly said, not wanting Jack to get the wrong idea. “I’m just warning you who already knows about what happened last night... and it’s just my dad and Desi.”

“Does she want to kill me too?” Jack asked softly, kissing Mac’s jaw and pulling back to look him in the eye.

“No, she doesn’t,” Mac replied, smiling a little. “She did tell me to talk to you and tell you how you feel, but that’s it.”

“Smart lady,” Jack commented, fingers stroking through Mac’s hair. “Glad she approves.”

“I don’t think it’s going to be an issue for any of our friends,” Mac said, leaning into Jack’s touch like a cat. “Except maybe Russ, he’s always flirting with me. But then again he kind of flirts with everyone—including Bozer, apparently.”

Jack stilled completely and when Mac glanced down at him there was a murderous look on his face. “If he even _thinks_ about flirting with you, I’m gonna break some of his bones,” he said darkly... and Mac shouldn’t find it as attractive as he did. “And if he actually tries it, I’m gonna snap that British little neck.”

Mac shivered in Jack’s grip, which had tightened around him considerably. He leaned in and kissed him hard, hands shifting around to frame his face. “I really like it when you get all growly and dangerous,” he whispered, kissing him again. “Should I tell you about all the times Russ has called me darling?”

Jack actually _growled_ , his hand tightening in Mac’s hair while the other one slid lower to grope his ass, as much as it was possible with the way Mac was currently sitting. “Son of a bitch,” Jack muttered, pulling Mac in for another hungry kiss. “He’s always been into pretty things. I’m gonna kill him.”

Mac gasped for air when Jack let him, pressing himself closer to his body and shifting so he was straddling Jack’s thighs. He smiled when Jack’s lips press against his jaw, teeth nipping lightly at the bone. “So my takeaway from this is that you think I’m pretty.” He paused, wondering exactly how far he should take this—but then again, he wasn’t making any of it up. “Russ told me I was pretty once.”

“Damn right you are,” Jack murmured in a low, dangerous voice, his hand sliding out of Mac’s hair so that he could wrap his arm around his waist while his other hand squeezed one of his ass cheeks roughly. “You’re the prettiest damn thing I’ve ever seen and I know you’re rilin’ me up on purpose, and I’m _definitely_ killing Taylor later.”

“You can’t kill him,” Mac said, biting his tongue to stifle a moan when Jack nipped at the bruise on his birthmark, that little spark of pain going straight to his dick. “I mean you _can_ , but you probably shouldn’t. He’s finally starting to fit in.”

“Mhmm, ask me if I care,” Jack muttered, lips moving against his throat. “Now, if you wanna stick around here today we better get back to the house.” He paused. “Wait... what are we gonna do about Riles?”

“Well, she’s gonna head for pizza and skee ball eventually... but it’ll probably be and hour or two until she does,” Mac said, his breath hitching when Jack bit lightly on the delicate skin near his pulse point. He knew he should feel bad scheming about getting rid of Riley, but he really didn’t. “Unless... I talk to Desi and force her to take Riley with her when she goes to her place to get change.”

“That could work in favor of Operation Get Together,” Jack mused, pressing one last kiss to Mac’s throat before he leaned back for real. He ushered Mac off his lap and stood with him. “And then maybe we can have a little alone time.”

“That sounds good to me,” Mac said, clearing his throat to keep his voice from breaking. “Let me see if I can get Desi to play along... without knowing she’s playing along, I mean.”

“Great idea,” Jack murmured, leaning into kiss him again... and then he stepped back, putting distance between them. “If I keep kissin’ you, I’ll never be able to stop or focus on anything else,” he explained when Mac _whined_. “Come on, baby, the sooner you get rid of them all, the sooner you can have me all to yourself.”

Mac exhaled through his nose and shut his eyes, forcing himself to get it together. “Okay, fine. Let’s go.”

~***~

They walked back to the house hand-in-hand and found everyone in the living room, cleaning up and getting ready to leave. Nobody seemed surprised when they saw Mac and Jack holding hands, and Mac let go to approach Desi. “Hey, Dez? Can I talk to you for a sec?” She narrowed her eyes and stared at him for a second before nodding. Mac led her back on the deck and trusted Jack to keep anyone else from coming out there and interrupting them. “I need a favor,” he started as soon as they were alone, and Desi raised her eyebrow in response. “Can you... come up with an excuse for Riley to go with you when you head to your place before Pizza Paradise?”

Desi’s eyes went wide. “I, uh... I guess... I’d ask why, but I think I have a pretty good idea.” She smiled and punched him in the shoulder. “Nice going.” Blinking at him, she crossed her arms over her chest. “But what am I supposed to ask her to do? I don’t have any tech problems... and the last thing I need is her finding out about my... my _feelings_.”

Mac couldn’t help but smile because he didn’t think he’d ever seen Desi nervous like this and it was adorable. “Look, have you considered the possibility of her feeling the same way?” Desi gave him such an incredulous look that he decided to drop the subject... for now. “I don’t know, you could just ask her to hang out... or make it clear you know I want to have sex with Jack.” He felt himself blush and Desi’s eyes widened because he never talked so openly about sex... but he didn’t give a damn at this point. “Actually... if you want _I_ can talk to her and then you can offer to take her with you. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.”

“That might work,” Desi admitted, and they walked back inside to find Jack talking to Riley, whose eyes were wide like saucers. “Looks like somebody beat you to that.”

As if on cue Riley came over and hooked her arm through Desi’s. “Um, how about we go over to your place for a while? I could... make sure your Wi-Fi is secure?”

“Sure, that sounds good,” Desi replied, and everybody filtered out of the house.

Once the door was closed and locked behind them Mac found himself backed into the nearest wall, Jack’s hands flat against it on either side of his head. “Hi,” Mac said, and grinned widely, unable to stop himself. The display of Jack’s strength _did_ something to him, but he didn’t want to seem like a horny mess, so he forced himself to concentrate. “What did you say to Riley?”

“Told her the truth,” Jack said, grinning back at him like he was incapable of doing anything else. “That we finally pulled our heads out of our asses and I wanted some alone time with you.” He took a step closer so their bodies were almost touching, heat coming off of him in waves. “Now what we _do_ with that alone time is entirely up to you.”

“Entirely, huh?” Mac mused, touching one of Jack’s wrists with the tip of his finger and tracing it up his forearm and biceps until he reached his shoulder. “So if I said I wanted to watch a documentary about snakes or play chess... you’d be cool with it?”

“Snakes are neat,” was Jack’s response, but Mac didn’t miss the way his pupils dilated at his touch. “You know I hate chess, though.”

“I do,” Mac murmured, repeating that same teasing touch up Jack’s other arm so he could wrap both of his own around his neck. “And lucky for you, I can think of something much more engaging that should entertain us both.”

Jack watched him with those gorgeous dark eyes that Mac loved so much. “Basketball?” he asked quietly, putting his hands on Mac’s hips and squeezing lightly.

“Well, we could play basketball, basketball is fun” Mac said, shrugging a little before he tilted his head and smiled. “Not as fun as sex, in my opinion, but if you want we could—”

He laughed when Jack’s lips landed on his in a surprisingly gentle kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This chapter is 99% kinky smut and 1% plot. **Please check the tags, they've been... updated extensively.** Oh, and we're getting close to the end - the next chapter will be the last one. :) Enjoy!

Mac expected it this time when Jack shifted his grip on him and lifted, wrapping his legs around Jack’s waist and kissing him back as Jack moved them away from the wall and toward the bedroom. Clearly he wasn’t interested in wasting any more time and Mac was all for that... he also wondered if Jack might be interested in any of the things he kept in his _second_ nightstand drawer. He couldn’t help but shiver when he thought about that, but he decided not to bring it up just yet.

When they reached the bed Jack threw him on the mattress, laughing when Mac yelped and crawling on top of him, licking into his mouth right away in a deep, passionate kiss. Mac moaned softly and wrapped his arms around Jack’s shoulders, spreading his legs to give Jack more space to settle between them, and he got lost in how fantastic Jack’s mouth felt against his and how just kissing was enough to make him feel like he was going to explode.

Jack’s body was heavy and warm above him, and Mac had never felt as safe as he did when he was pinned underneath him. He was breathless in a matter of moments and Jack pulled back to nip at his jaw, almost exactly like the night before. That last thought stirred something in Mac and he hooked a leg around Jack’s hip to flip them so he was on top. Jack wasn’t expecting it at all from the dumbfounded look on his face, and as much as Mac wanted to see what giving in to Jack completely was like... first he wanted to have a little fun.

Mac sat up and pushed his hair out of his eyes, grinning down at Jack who stared up at him with a hungry gaze. His hands were slowly rubbing up and down Mac’s thighs, and he made a low sound when Mac yanked his shirt over his head and leaned back down. He gave Jack a short kiss and bit down on his lower lip before mouthing at Jack’s jaw, loving how his stubble felt under his lips.

“Jesus,” Jack mumbled, his hands sliding up from Mac’s thighs to explore his back. He shuddered when Mac scraped his teeth over his pulse before he leaned back again, this time to help Jack get his shirt off. Then he moved down a little, dragging his ass over the bulge in Jack’s jeans while he did so, until he was settled between his legs and could kiss and suck his way over Jack’s chest and abs. “Fuck,” Jack groaned when Mac licked over his right nipple and sucked on it lightly. He did the same with the left nipple, smiling when Jack moaned softly, and then Mac moved lower.

He took his time pressing kisses to Jack’s skin, mouthing over his impressive abs and exploring them with his tongue. “You got even more ripped while you were gone,” he mumbled, biting at Jack’s abdomen. “And it’s driving me insane.”

“Glad you approve,” Jack rumbled out, one hand coming up to card through Mac’s hair, tugging lightly when he reached the back. He inhaled sharply when Mac nipped at his hipbone, fingers moving to open Jack’s pants. He helped him tug them down and kick them off, leaving him in his underwear. Then he dropped lower, mouthing over his cock through the cotton of his boxer-briefs.

Jack made a broken sound, his grip in Mac’s hair tightening. “I vaguely recall telling you’re just as big as I thought you would be last night,” Mac murmured, and then nipped lightly on the bulge, loving the whine that escaped Jack’s throat. He looked up and waited for Jack to meet his gaze before basically purring, “I meant every word.”

“Shit, baby,” Jack whimpered, and Mac couldn’t say he was expecting this type of reaction but he loved it. He grinned and pulled Jack’s underwear off, mouth watering when his hard cock hit his stomach. He immediately leaned down and licked it from base to tip before sucking on the head. He was pleased when that earned him a moan and a tug on his hair from Jack, and he took more of his cock into his mouth.

Jack moaned again, his other hand twisting in the bedsheets near his hip, and he panted heavily, staring at the ceiling. “Oh, by the way,” Mac said after pulling away, and he licked his lips. “I don’t have a gag reflex.”

Jack made a choked sound, but Mac didn’t give him a chance to say anything, taking his cock into his mouth again. He sank low in one smooth move, loving how Jack’s cock felt on his tongue and deep in his throat. “Oh fuck, darlin’,” Jack cried out, his hips jerking upward, muscles trembling when he realized Mac just took it, barely missing a breath. “You’re incredible.”

Mac hummed an acknowledgement and swallowed around him, bobbing his head for a while before he just... stopped. He let his lips sink to the base of Jack’s cock and looked up at him, willing him to get the message. Jack stared at him with huge eyes, his chest heaving. “You... you want me to—” Mac hummed around him again and winked, and Jack moaned brokenly, his hand in Mac’s hair gripping it even tighter. He exhaled shakily and thrusted up tentatively, and Mac held Jack’s gaze, relaxing his throat and loving how he could barely breathe.

Jack’s head thunked back against the pillow and he squeezed his eyes shut, using both hands to gently grip Mac’s head instead of just holding onto his hair. His thumbs rubbed over the spot where his lips made a perfect O around Jack’s cock, and he slowly started moving Mac’s head up and down... and then he brought Mac’s lips to the base and left him there. Mac braced himself on his forearms, fingers clenched in the bedsheets as Jack’s cock chokes him in the best way. His throat fluttered and he swallowed around him a few times, and after a moment Jack moved his head up, and Mac inhaled sharply through his nose.

“Fuck, baby,” Jack muttered in a hoarse voice. “Feels so good.”

Mac pulled off his cock completely when he heard that, drool and precome slipping down his chin. “Don’t want it to feel too good,” he explained when Jack made a noise of protest, climbing back up his body to give him a filthy kiss. “Want you to fuck me,” he mumbled against his lips, reaching down for the second drawer. He felt around inside until he found what he was looking for—a coil of bondage rope—and pressed it into Jack’s hand. “And I want you to use this.”

Jack’s eyes got even wider than before and he stared at the rope for a few seconds before looking at Mac again. “Fuck,” he swore, and Mac found himself on his back the next time he blinked, Jack looming over him and leaning down to press their mouths together in a hard kiss. He pulled back after a moment and glanced at the rope again... and he made a sound in the back of his throat when his gaze fell on the open drawer. “Shit, baby, you...” Jack swallowed hard, his eyes almost black. “You sure have a lot of fun stuff here.”

Mac grinned at him, a small part of him relieved that Jack didn’t have a problem with getting a little kinky. “Sometimes I like to mix it up,” he said, fluttering his eyelashes in a play on innocence and laughing when Jack rolled him on his stomach.

“You gotta tell me if I do something you don’t like,” Jack murmured, fingers skimming almost reverently over Mac’s wrists before he tied them behind his back, just tight enough that he couldn’t get out of them.

“I will,” Mac promised, shivering a little. “But the chances of that are slim.”

Jack let out a low groan and hooked his fingers under the waistband of Mac’s sweatpants, tugging them down. Then he gripped Mac by the hips and yanked his ass up until he was propped up on his knees, the side of his face mashed into the pillow under his head. “Fuck, baby, look at you,” Jack said, both hands sliding over Mac’s ass and squeezing it roughly. “Tied up so prettily... just for me.”

Mac shivered, remembering how Jack reacted when he talked about Russ... so maybe using Jack’s jealousy to spice things up was a good idea. He swallowed the moan that wanted to come out of his mouth in response to those words and thought about his next move instead—he was a man of science, after all, and he loved his experiments. “What if I told you you’re not the first person I’ve let tie me up like this?” he whispered, jolting forward when Jack’s response to that was to smack his ass with the flat of his hand. “I let Desi do this... and I bet Russ would like it too.”

Jack growled and smacked his ass again, even harder. “He can dream,” he said darkly, pressing himself closer until his hard cock slid between Mac’s ass cheeks. “But I’d kill him for even thinking about bein’ with you like that.” He spanked him again and this time Mac let out a loud moan. “What else?” he asked in a dangerous voice. “What else did you do with her?”

Mac was trying desperately not to smile, but it was a losing battle—he had no idea Jack had such a jealous streak. “See that dildo in the drawer down there?” he asked, waiting until he got a grunt of acknowledgement from Jack. “It can be used as a strap-on, and... well, I’m pretty sure you get the picture.”

Another growl and Jack’s hips twitched forward, his big cock moving between his ass cheeks and spreading them apart. Mac shuddered when he felt it rub over his entrance, his hands clenching where they tied up on his lower back. “Oh I get the picture alright,” Jack said, sliding one hand up Mac’s spine and gripping his hair tightly. “You liked that? Her fucking you like that?”

“Y-Yeah, I did,” Mac replied, goosebumps breaking out all over his body. He trusted Jack with his life and knew he would never do anything to hurt him intentionally... but there was a crazy part of him that wished Jack would just thrust inside him and take what he wanted. “She was... just rough enough, you know? And she got off on it too.”

“Bet she did,” Jack grunted, smacking his ass again. “You’re just too damn gorgeous like that, anyone would love to have you... but that ain’t happening.” Another smack. “You’re mine.” Mac’s breath hitched and he loved this possessive side of Jack, he couldn’t help it. A moment later he heard Jack sucking on his fingers and then he was rubbing over his hole, not pushing in, just touching. “So you like rough, huh?” he asked in a hoarse voice. “How rough are we talkin’?”

“Not rough enough that I wind up bleeding,” Mac said wryly, remembering the bite mark he left behind on Jack’s shoulder last night. “But enough that I feel it later.”

“I think I can handle that,” Jack told him, those fingertips still teasing at his entrance. “Question is, are you gonna keep baiting me? Do I have to punish you for runnin’ your mouth?”

Mac grinned widely, even though he was so turned on he could scream. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said, moaning when Jack tugged his hair harder. “We’re just...” His breath hitched when Jack’s fingers pressed harder against his entrance. “... having a conversation.” He swallowed hard. “But if you were to punish me... how would do it?”

“Well, there’s two options,” Jack said nonchalantly, but Mac could tell he was just as turned on as he was. “I could put you over my knee and spank you until you’re beggin’ me to let you come... or I could eat you out and get the same result.” He reached down to the bottom drawer and Mac’s breathing hitched when he saw him come back up with a cock ring. “And we could use this.”

“Fuck,” Mac murmured, moaning when Jack’s fingers wrapped around his cock. He moaned brokenly when he started stroking him, setting up a steady pace that had him whimpering... and he whined when Jack suddenly stopped, fingers squeezing around the base of his cock.

“So what’s it gonna be, gorgeous?” Jack asked, reaching around with his other arm and slowly sliding the ring on his cock. “Tell me now.”

Both options were enticing... but now that he’d felt Jack’s hand impact his body, he knew what he wanted. “Spank me,” he breathed out, the pressure around the base of his cock torturous in the best way. “Please.”

“Good boy,” Jack praised, his voice gone dark with desire—and then he grabbed Mac around the waist and moved with him. They wound up so that Jack’s back was against the headboard and Mac was facedown across his lap. His cock was pressed against Jack’s thigh and Mac moaned, unable to stop himself from grinding down, and he yelped when Jack gripped his hair and tugged sharply. “No movin’, baby,” Jack’s voice rumbled above him, and a second later he smacked one of Mac’s ass cheeks. “You gonna be a good boy for me?”

Mac whimpered and nodded, his voice barely above a whisper when he spoke. “Yeah, I’ll... I’ll be good.”

“Of course you will,” Jack said, his hand slipping from Mac’s hair to rub soothing circles between Mac’s shoulder blades before it pressed down hard. The hand on his ass had slowly explored both sides, damp fingers rubbing over his hole for a moment without dipping inside. Then without warning he spanked Mac’s ass with the flat of his hand... and just kept doing it.

Mac cried out with every smack, unconsciously twisting his hands and loving how the rope dug into his skin. Pretty soon the sounds he was making get higher and morphed into sobs, and he wanted to grind against Jack’s thigh or push up to meet Jack’s hand... but he was told not to move. His cock was throbbing painfully and he wanted to come so badly... but at the same time he wanted more. “Please, J-Jack,” he whimpered, whining when Jack stops spanking him, his skin stinging. “H-harder.”

“Only because you beg so nicely,” Jack said, those calloused fingers rubbing over Mac’s reddened ass cheeks. He gave him one brutal smack to his ass, hard enough to make Mac cry out in pain and pleasure, and then stopped to speak again. “You just tell me when you can’t take it anymore, when you want to come so much that it hurts... then I’m gonna take your come and use it as lube to get you nice and wet for me.”

Mac only managed to moan in response before Jack spanked him again and again, even harder than before, making Mac cry out brokenly every single time. “Jack, J-Jack,” he eventually sobbed, trembling and whimpering, screaming when Jack spanked him and tugged on his hair at the same time. “P-please, please, I—I need to come,” he begged in a shaky voice. “Please.”

True to his word, as soon as Mac started begging him like that, Jack reached down and took off the cock ring, stroking him in a firm, tight grip. “Okay, baby, there you go,” he says, leaning down to growl right into Mac’s ear. His other hand continued spanking him in time with how he was stripping his cock. “Be a good boy and come for me.”

Mac didn’t have any air left in his lungs and he kept moaning, tugging on the rope binding his wrists. It felt so damn good and a moment later Mac came with a loud shout, sobbing in pleasure as he spurted all over Jack’s lap. He worked him through it, stroking him mercilessly until he started getting oversensitive, and then he let go of his cock, his other hand squeezing his ass and kneading the flesh.

“You good?” Jack asked, his voice low, hand moving from Mac’s ass to rub his back.

When Mac nodded, too out of breath to speak, Jack dragged his fingers through the mess Mac made on his thigh and brought them back to his hole, just like he said he would. He pushed the first one inside slowly, rubbing as he worked it in, his other hand resting heavy on the back of Mac’s neck. Mac exhaled shakily and closed his eyes, forcing himself to relax. He shivered as Jack’s finger slowly worked him open and he couldn’t wait to actually have his cock inside him again—he already knew how it felt, but he was sure it was going to be even better this time since all the feelings were out in the open.

He moaned softly when Jack added a second finger, pushing them in deeper in search of his prostate. He moaned again when Jack’s fingertips rubbed over his prostate, louder this time. He relaxed further when Jack started stroking his fingers through his hair while he pushed against his prostate, eyes rolling back in his head from how good it felt. “Is that good, baby?” Jack murmured, leaning down to kiss at Mac’s neck. “You want more?”

“Y-yes,” Mac whispered shakily, his hips twitching. “Please, Jack.”

Jack kissed his neck again before nipping at his skin and then he started moving his fingers faster, in and out. He let go of Mac’s hair and gathered more of his come, coating the hand stretching him open with it, and then he added a third finger. He started moving them in the imitation of fucking and Mac made a broken sound, sobbing from how good it felt.

“Goddamn, look at you,” Jack whispered, wrapping his fingers around the ropes binding Mac’s wrists. He pulled a little, making Mac’s back arch as his shoulders were yanked backward. The new position made Jack’s fingers sink even deeper into his body. “You’re so beautiful, and so _responsive_ to every little thing I do, it’s crazy.”

Mac groaned when he heard that, he couldn’t help it, and suddenly Jack’s fingers were gone. He whined in protest, but then Jack was grabbing him and rearranging them until Mac’s face was pressed into the mattress again, his ass up, and Jack was kneeling behind him. He pushed three fingers back inside him and pulled on the rope again, making Mac cry out softly as Jack continued fucking him with his fingers.

“Jack... _please_ ,” Mac gasped out, face and body damp with sweat, every muscle in his body lax from pleasure. “I... I want you so bad.”

“You’ve got me, baby,” Jack said teasingly, his fingers curling up toward his prostate again. “If there’s something else you want, you have to tell me exactly what it is.”

Mac whimpered and closed his eyes because Jack was being a bastard... and Mac loved it. He sobbed when Jack’s fingers pressed against his prostate and stayed there, the torturous pressure overwhelming in the best way. “I... I want your cock inside me,” Mac whispered in a trembling voice, his face burning. “Fuck me, _please_.”

Jack groaned and pulled his fingers out, rubbing his cock in between Mac’s ass cheeks again. It was thick and hot and Mac wanted it inside him _now_ , more than he’d ever wanted anything. “Oh fuck yeah, I can’t wait to get inside you,” Jack said, grabbing for the lube and slicking himself up. He pressed the head of his cock against Mac’s entrance and grabbed the ropes. “Gonna fuck you until you come again.”

Mac’s breath hitched and he absently realized that Jack was holding the ropes like he would hold the reins while riding a horse... but then Jack tugged on them and started pushing inside him, and Mac wasn’t thinking anything anymore. He moved faster than last night, more roughly, groaning as his cock got buried inside Mac. He did still once he bottomed out and Mac forced himself to breathe, his entire body aching in the best way.

His spent cock twitched with interest as Jack leaned down to kiss at his shoulders, nipping lightly when he found a freckle or a mole. “This doesn’t hurt, right?” he asked near Mac’s ear, tugging lightly at the ropes.

“No,” Mac whispered, because while it was a little uncomfortable it wasn’t painful, and the slow drag of Jack’s cock as he drew his hips back made up for it. “Go ahead.”

He felt Jack smile and then he nipped on his earlobe before he straightened up. The fact that Jack was still checking up on him made Mac’s heart flutter and it was one of the many reasons he loved him as much as he did. Jack drew his hips back and thrusted inside him again, setting up a steady pace, his cock sliding in and out of him. He kept holding the ropes, tugging every now and then, and Mac felt used like a whore... and he loved every second.

His mind just... shut off in a way that he wasn’t used to, his body gone slack as he focused on the way Jack pounded into his body. He was deliberately avoiding Mac’s prostate, using his grip on the ropes to keep him exactly where he wanted him. He was groaning almost constantly, pace gradually increasing... and then he changed the angle, hammering directly against Mac’s prostate with no mercy. Mac screamed so loudly that if he had any close neighbors they would hear him for sure, but he didn’t give a damn. He continued crying out and sobbing with every slam of Jack’s hips, unable to do anything but take it and let Jack use him however he wanted.

“You feel so fucking good, baby,” Jack groaned, moving like a well-oiled machine and clearly determined to fuck Mac’s brains out. “Fuck, I’m gonna come,” he growled, and tugged sharply on the rope, brutally pounding into Mac... and then he started coming with a low groan, filling Mac up with sticky warmth. He continued slamming into Mac, riding out an orgasm that seemed to last forever... and once he slowed down Mac realized Jack was still hard inside him, but he didn’t get a chance to think about it because Jack wrapped his fingers around his cock and started stroking him brutally fast.

He wasn’t fully hard yet, but that changed as soon as Jack started stripping his cock. He sobbed from it, hips twitching back and forth between Jack’s hand and the unforgiving hardness of his cock. And just when he thought he was going to fall over the edge, Jack took his hand away. “Easy there, darlin’,” he soothed when Mac whined in protest. “I’ve got more plans for you.” He untied Mac’s wrists and grabbed the cock ring again, snapping it on the base of Mac’s dick.

Before Mac could process that, Jack was pulling out of him... replacing his cock with the vibrator from the bottom drawer, its flared base snug against his hole. Mac made a high, surprised sound, followed by a moan. His arms fell down on the mattress and he tangled his hands in the bedsheets near his head... and then Jack arm slid under his chest and pushed him up until he was on all fours. Jack pushed the dildo into him at about the same time, not stopping until it was buried deep inside him. Jack’s hard cock was pressed against one of Mac’s ass cheeks and he grabbed him by the hair with his free hand... and started fucking him with the vibrator.

“Oh, _oh_ , Jack!” Mac shouted, his throat raw from all the sounds he was making. The vibrator was set to medium, thrumming away inside him as Jack moved it back and forth. He turned it up higher and lodged it deep inside Mac before he flipped him on to his back. He climbed up and straddled Mac’s chest, and Mac’s mouth dropped open involuntarily, body guessing at what Jack wanted before his brain caught up, too distracted by the constant rumbling pressure on his prostate.

His vision was blurring, but he could make out Jack smirking down at him before he reached behind him... and Mac cried out when Jack changed the setting and turned on the thrusting motions on the vibrator so that it was pretty much fucking Mac on its own. Once that was done Jack loomed over Mac before directing his cock into his mouth, and he grabbed Mac’s wrists, pinning them over his head as he started fucking his throat.

Mac flattened his tongue and all but melted into the mattress beneath him, eyes slipping shut as Jack slid his cock in and out of his throat at a steady pace. He shifted so that he was holding both of Mac’s wrists in one hand—a casual display of power that made Mac quake—and his other hand dropped to Mac’s throat, a groan escaping him when he felt the bulge his cock made. “You love this, don’t you?” he asked, punctuating his words with a particularly harsh jab from his hips... and leaving his cock buried as deep as it could go, cutting off Mac’s air. “You love choking on my cock like a good little slut?”

Mac’s eyelids fluttered and his entire body jolted underneath Jack’s weight. He couldn’t reply, but he moaned almost silently, his eyes rolling back from the overwhelming pleasure coming from the dildo working and thrusting inside him, and Jack’s cock buried in his throat. His own cock was throbbing painfully, the ring tight around the base, and he wanted to come so badly, but he _couldn’t_... and he wasn’t allowed to. “That’s right, you love this so much,” Jack growled, drawing his hips back to let Mac breathe, and he started fucking his throat again. “Look at you, letting me use you like the pretty whore that you are.”

Mac made a sound of agreement, because he wouldn’t let anybody but Jack talk to him like this, wouldn’t let anybody else take control of him so completely. His cock continued to ache as he got fucked by the vibrator, Jack’s movements in his throat getting sloppy and more erratic. “Oh, I’m gonna come, baby,” Jack announced with a moan, squeezing his wrists so hard the bones ground together. “You want it down your throat or in your ass?”

Mac couldn’t reply with Jack’s cock deep in his throat and at this point he was fine with both, so he let Jack decide for him. He did, and after a moment he let go of his wrists and pulled his cock out of his mouth, sliding down his body and yanking the dildo out of him, replacing it with his cock. Mac cried out hoarsely when Jack slammed into him and set up a quick, needy pace, pounding into him for a few moments before he came with an animalistic growl, pumping his come into Mac, his hips twitching erratically, grinding into him before eventually stilling.

He collapsed on top of Mac, panting heavily, and Mac whimpered pitifully, still painfully hard and ready to explode. Jack lifted his head and smirked lazily before pulling out and reaching for the vibrator again. He pushed it into Mac and turned it up as high as possible, his other hand toying with the cock ring. “Beg,” he ordered, and started roughly moving the dildo in and out. “Beg me to let you come.”

Mac’s back arched, his mouth opening in a silent cry. He was shaking all over, arms still above his head because he was too strung out to move them. Jack’s words finally registered and he sobbed when the vibrator ground into his prostate and stayed there. “Jack! Oh, _fuck_ , let me come, please let me come, I’ll do anything—” He cut off when Jack’s hand wrapped around his cock and nearly screamed as his thumb dug into the slit, vibrator pounding away inside him. “ _Please_ , o-oh, Jack, I need it—”

“Since you asked so nicely... and you’re so pretty when you beg,” Jack murmured, and took the ring off his cock, tossing it on the mattress. He started moving the vibrator in and out of him impossibly fast, letting go of his cock and shifting to loom over Mac, watching him with a dark gaze. “Come on then, come for me, baby,” he growled. “All over yourself.”

“Oh fuck,” Mac sobbed out, and then he was coming so hard his vision went dark, hips arching off the bed as his cock spurted against his stomach. His orgasm felt like it went on forever and he was still feeling ripples when Jack slid the dildo out. He whined at the sudden emptiness and made a sound of relief when Jack replaced the toy with three fingers, stroking over his prostate as Mac continued to shake.

Jack worked him through it, gradually reducing the pace until he was slowly grinding his fingers into him. Mac kept whimpering, his hips twitching until he was too spent to move any longer, the ceiling spinning above him. He was only half aware of Jack pulling his fingers out and moving to lie beside him, rolling Mac on his side and wrapping him up in his arms, his chest pressed snugly against back. Mac absently realized that they wound up lying crosswise on the bed, but he didn’t care, closing his eyes and melting into Jack’s embrace.

“Darlin’, are you...” Jack started softly, his voice hesitant. “Are you okay?”

Mac sighed contentedly and it took a few seconds for Jack’s question to reach his brain. “What? Of course I am, I’m fine.” A little breathless and sore, but other than that he’d never felt better. There was something off in Jack’s voice, so he forced his muscles to work and rolled over in his grip, so he could see Jack’s face. “Are _you_ okay? That was... pretty intense.”

“I’m… I’m good, baby,” Jack stuttered out, swallowing hard and looking away. “But are you sure that wasn’t… too much?”

Mac brought a hand up to touch Jack’s cheek. “You were fantastic,” he said softly, waiting until Jack met his eye before he continued to speak. “You kept asking me if I was okay, you were just rough enough, and... I loved it. I’m kinda achy, but it feels good.” He thought of something and frowned. “Is this about the... the name calling?”

“Among other things, yeah,” Jack whispered, using the arm around his waist to pull him closer. “I... I’m sorry, I didn’t even think—”

“Jack,” Mac interjected softly, leaning in to press their foreheads together and nuzzle at Jack’s nose. “I... loved it, much more than I thought I would.” He smiled a little. “I know you don’t really think I’m a slut or a whore—” Jack immediately started shaking his head “—but it felt... really good when you talked like that.”

Jack blinked at him. “But... I said all that after you were talking about... being with Desi. I don’t want you to think I’m... that I’m shaming you for being with somebody else, that’s the last thing I would—”

“Jack, I know.” Mac leaned in until he could press their lips together in a kiss. “I know you’re not a possessive asshole, and you would never act like that outside the bedroom.”

“I wouldn’t, I swear,” Jack said, looking at him with wide eyes. “I think you’re the best person in the world and I love you, baby.”

“I love you too,” Mac murmured, smiling when Jack hugged him close. “Also, something you should now... even though I may have had some... kinky sex with Desi, this... what we just did was the best sex of my life. Hands down.”

Jack finally smiled too, pressing their lips together in a kiss. “Mine too, darlin’. It’s never been like that with anybody else.” He gave Mac another squeeze. “Now, I’m thinkin’ we should probably take a shower... and then this might be a good opportunity to cook that fancy dinner for Riley and Desi. Seems like that kiss last night could be an indicator of Operation Get Together being successful.”

Mac grinned widely and pressed himself as close to Jack as possible, hooking his leg over his hip. “Oh yeah, I noticed that,” he murmured against Jack’s lips. “But as much as I would love a shower... I don’t think I can walk right now.”

Jack grabbed Mac’s thigh and sat up, standing in another swift motion with Mac in his arms. “I can help with that,” he said, giving Mac another kiss as he walked toward the bathroom. Once they were in the shower Jack set Mac down on the bench and turned on the warm water, both of them basking in the spray for a moment. “So what should I make for the dinner? It should be something they both like... and we’re gonna have to lure Desi here after they’re done at the skee ball place.”

“That’s easy,” Mac mumbled, snuggling close to Jack, feeling like he could sleep for two weeks. “I’ll text her to come over and I’ll threaten her saying that if she doesn’t, I’ll tell you about her crush.”

“That’s... risky, she could kill you,” Jack pointed out before he grinned. “I love it.”

“You’ll defend me,” Mac murmured. “And we talked about lasagna yesterday, you think you could make that? We got that red wine to go with it.”

“I can totally do that,” Jack said, scraping his fingers through Mac’s wet hair. “You want me to wash this for you?”

“Please,” Mac mumbled, stifling a yawn. “And while you’re making dinner, I’ll book us a hotel room. Maybe we could have a nice dinner of our own out somewhere—what about that steakhouse you like?”

“Sure, baby,” Jack said, working some shampoo through Mac’s hair like it was second nature. “We’ll have to dress up a little to go there, though... wait, is this gonna be a date?”

Mac smiled and pressed his lips to Jack’s jaw, nipping lightly. “If you want it to be... but yeah, I was thinking yes.” He pulled back to wiggle his eyebrows. “You already know I put out.”

Jack let out a surprised laugh and leaned in to kiss Mac’s cheek. “Oh, I know,” he murmured. “But if I‘m bein’ honest, I’m kinda looking forward to cuddling the shit outta you.”

“We can cuddle too,” Mac assured, bending into the spray to rinse his hair and then staying still so Jack could apply conditioner. “Maybe rent a movie and order junk food from room service.”

“Now you’re speaking my language,” Jack said, kissing Mac’s cheek again once he rinsed away the conditioner.

They stood up to wash themselves off, and Mac leaned against Jack to keep himself upright. Once they were clean they got out and bundled up in towels before heading back into the bedroom. Jack efficiently stripped the bed and had Mac curl up on the bare mattress while he packed overnight bags for both of them before finding clothes to wear now.

Mac watched him move around the room easily, knowing not only in which boxes his clothes were, but also where Mac’s things were... and it felt _right_. “Move in with me,” he blurted out. “Like... I know you were gonna stay here for a while, probably look for an apartment, but... maybe don’t?” He chewed on his lower lip. “I’m not that easy to live with with all the... experiments and things blowing up sometimes, I know that, but... I can make up for it with sex?”

Jack turned to look at him, setting their clothes down before he crawled onto the mattress. He leaned down to kiss Mac on the mouth, soft and tender. “You don’t need to make up for anything,” he murmured against Mac’s lips, rough fingers touching his cheek. “I always wanna be with you, darlin’. And if you want me to move in... then I’d love to.”

Mac smiled widely and wrapped his arms around Jack’s neck when he tried to pull away. He may be tired, but he was also ridiculously happy right now, finally feeling like everything was going to be okay. “I love you,” he told Jack, a part of him still not believing that he could just... say this out loud. “So much.”

“I love you too,” Jack replied in a whisper, and Mac saw the emotion reflected in his eyes. He smacked Mac’s thigh lightly, a vague reminder of what he did earlier. “Now c’mon, get dressed. I’m gonna go start on the lasagna—get ahold of Desi once you’re done, yeah?”

Mac whined, clinging to Jack when he tried to get up. “But you’re so warm and gorgeous,” he said, pouting a little just to be a shit.

Jack closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face. “Dammit, baby,” he muttered, and leaned down for a slow, sweet kiss... and he took advantage of Mac being distracted and got up to his feet. “Mission first, cuddling later,” he said, grinning at the dumbfounded look on Mac’s face. He put on some sweatpants and headed out of the room, stopping in the doorway to look over his shoulder and smirk, and then he was gone, leaving Mac alone on the bed with just his towel to keep him company.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! We've reached the end of the road for this fic! As always we are sooo grateful for your love on our work, and I'll be posting another fic soon! <3 Hope you like the ending!

A couple of hours later, Jack and Mac were just getting done cleaning up the kitchen when Riley came through the front door. She smelled like pizza and looked suitably tired after a long day of arcade games... but when she saw what they’d set up in the middle of the living room she stopped dead in her tracks. “Guys? What is this?” she asked, confusion in her voice as she looked over the candlelit table and the fresh flowers all over the place, listened to the classical music coming from the stereo system. “What’s going on?”

Their bags were all packed and the hotel room was booked, so they just needed to make sure Desi got there... and then they had to leave before she killed them. “Oh, it’s nothin’, baby girl,” Jack said nonchalantly, walking up to her and kissing her cheek. “Just a small thank you for... giving us some time alone, that’s all.”

“But...” Riley started, looking around with wide eyes. “This is—”

“Jack, we have to move,” Mac called out, grabbing their bags. “We don’t have much time, we need to be ready.”

“Ready for what?” Riley asked, confusion in her voice.

Before either of them could respond, Desi walked through the door, looking down at her phone as she said, “Okay, Mac, I’m here. What was so important that it couldn’t wait until—” She cut off when she saw the state of the room, the lasagna and red wine that Jack was putting on the table, and Riley. “What the hell?” Her head snapped toward Mac when he made a small, frightened sound. “What did you do?”

“Nothing!” Mac said, his voice getting higher, and if their lives weren’t currently in danger, Jack would appreciate more how incredibly cute he was. “I didn’t do anything! Jack?” he added, turning to look at Jack with huge eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, human shield, coming through,” Jack said, winking at Riley and squeezing her shoulder before stepping between Desi and Mac, grabbing the bags from him. “We’ll be on our way then.”

“I’m gonna kill you both!” Desi exclaimed, wheeling toward them.

Riley’s hand on her elbow stopped her. “Dez...” she started, her cheeks turning pink. “Maybe you could save the homicide for later... and we could have dinner instead?”

“Atta girl,” Jack said, ducking so the random blunt object Desi threw at him missed its target. “We’re gone—have fun, ladies!” He ran out the door with Mac and to the GTO, waiting for Mac to throw the bags in the back before tearing off, burning rubber as they drove down the street.

“Oh my god, that was terrifying,” Mac breathed out, turning back in his seat as if he expected Desi running after them with her gun. Once he was satisfied they were safe he shifted back and after a moment he laughed quietly. “We’re evil.”

“That we are, baby,” Jack confirmed, also laughing, and he reached out to put his hand on Mac’s knee and squeeze it lightly. “But you know what? Call me crazy, but... I think that might’ve worked? Did you see the look on Riley’s face?”

“She looked... shocked, but happy,” Mac said, putting his hand over Jack’s and threading their fingers together. “I booked us a room at the Sheraton downtown. You wanna go and check in before we head to the restaurant?”

“Yeah, I’d like to change into something a little more classy too,” Jack said, wrinkling his nose when he looked down at his tomato-stained shirt. “I don’t think this will get me into the steakhouse.”

“Probably not,” Mac agreed, chuckling a little, and it was such a pretty sound that as soon as they stopped at a red light, Jack had to lean in and kiss his cheek. “What was that for?”

“Just felt like kissin’ you, that’s all,” Jack replied, turning his gaze back on the road when the light changed to green. “There’s no one else I’d rather set our friends up with.”

“I always knew you were just a big marshmallow on the inside,” Mac told him, squeezing at his fingers. “It’s one of the things I love about you.”

“Don’t tell anyone,” Jack joked as he navigated around LA traffic. “I have a reputation to keep.”

~***~

It didn’t take as long as he thought it would to get to the hotel, and he let Mac check in for them while he grabbed the bags. As soon as they were in the elevator Mac’s arms were around his neck, tugging him into a kiss. Jack made a surprised sound, but he dropped the bags to put his hands on Mac’s hips and he kissed him back, because of course he did. “Mhmm, what—”

“Maybe now I felt like kissing _you_ ,” Mac interjected, muttering against his lips, and then he kissed him again. “You’re infuriatingly hot, you know that?”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Jack mumbled into his mouth, the feeling of Mac’s lips against his own addicting. The elevator stopped and they broke apart, and Jack picked up the bags again before following Mac to the room. He unlocked the door and Jack let out a low whistle when he saw the size of the room. “Damn, baby, you really went all out.”

“Well, I rarely get to spend my money and this seemed like a good cause,” Mac said, grinning before plopping down on the huge bed. “Plus we have a lot to celebrate.”

“Oh yeah?” Jack asked, grinning back because he was unable not to. He walked up to the bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress. “Like what?”

“Like the fact that we’re together and there’s no more secrets between us,” Mac said, curling himself around Jack like the best kind of octopus. He was warm and oh-so-tempting, lean muscles pressed against every inch of Jack he could reach. “And that I’m pretty sure we managed to get Desi and Riley together.”

“And we survived doin’ it, that’s also a plus,” Jack said with a smile, leaning in to press a kiss to Mac’s lips. He intended to pull back after an innocent peck, but Mac had different ideas, chasing his lips and kissing him again and again.

“Jack?” Mac mumbled after a moment, and Jack hummed to show he was listening, even though he was distracted by Mac’s... well, everything. “How hungry are you?”

Jack weighed the option of dressing up and going to the steakhouse against rolling around with Mac in this luxurious fluffy bed and decides it was no contest. “Ah, fuck it,” he said, kicking off his boots and pulling off his stained shirt. He grinned at Mac before tackling him to the mattress. “We’ll order room service. I bet they’ve got steak.”

Mac laughed gleefully and kicked his boots off as well, wrapping his arms around Jack’s neck. “They do,” he said with a wide grin, sliding his hands down Jack’s chest and hooking his fingers under the waistband of his jeans. “I checked.”

“Did you now?” Jack asked, leaning down to kiss that gorgeous smile, one hand moving to yank Mac’s shirt out of his pants. “I’m kinda getting the feeling you knew we were never gonna make it to that steakhouse.”

Mac laughed again, a clear, bright sound that Jack was never going to tire of hearing. “Maybe,” he admitted, letting his arms flop down to the mattress while Jack unbuttoned his shirt, revealing acres of golden skin. “But in my defense, I _tried_ to get a reservation—they were already booked for tonight.”

“What a shame,” Jack muttered, not caring in the slightest as he mouthed over Mac’s jaw and went for his jeans next, feeling like a randy teenager. “Guess I’ll just have you for dinner instead.”

He didn’t miss the hitch in Mac’s breathing or how he shuddered underneath him, and he smirked, biting down on Mac’s pulse point a little harder. “That sounds... like a great idea,” Mac breathed out, gasping when Jack pushed his jeans down enough to press his hand flatly against his cock, rubbing teasingly. “ _Jack_ ,” he moaned softly when Jack’s fingers slipped into his boxer briefs, touching his cock lightly. Still smirking, Jack continued nipping on the delicate skin of Mac’s throat and moved his hand around in Mac’s underwear, sliding it to his ass and intending to tease his hole a little... but he froze when he felt _something_ there. He lifted his head to look at Mac, who had a pretty pink flush to his cheeks, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Surprise?”

“When did you—” Jack started, but then kicked himself mentally. “When I left you alone to get dressed.”

“Yep,” Mac said, framing Jack’s face with his hands. A touch of uncertainty flitted across his features. “You... you’re not upset, right?”

“Are you kiddin’?” Jack asked incredulously, and leaned down to give Mac a hard kiss. “Of course I’m not upset, I’m... so turned on right now I can barely breathe,” he murmured against Mac’s lips, feeling hot all over when he realized Mac had been walking around with a buttplug while they were making dinner for Desi and Riley.

He felt it when Mac smiled. “Good,” he mumbled, hands moving to slide down Jack’s back, before they slipped around to open his jeans. “Now please tell me you brought lube.”

“Hey, I might not be a genius like you, but I’m not stupid,” Jack teased, kissing the tip of Mac’s nose before he got off the bed to dig through his bag, shedding his pants and underwear along the way.

He heard Mac kick down his jeans and most likely boxer briefs as well, and he shivered in anticipation as he searched his bag. He made a triumphant sound when he found the little bottle and turned to head back to bed... and he froze, a low groan escaping his throat without his permission. Mac was spread out on the mattress, completely naked, and he was slowly stroking himself. He turned his head to look at Jack with lust-blown eyes and smirked lazily, lips parting around a soft moan... and Jack basically threw himself in his direction, climbing on top of him with a growl.

He pressed their lips together in another hard kiss and grabbed Mac’s wrist, pushing his hand away from his cock. “That’s mine to play with, darlin’,” he muttered, biting down on Mac’s lower lip. “Now tell me... did you bring any toys from your sexy drawer or should I start getting creative?”

“Are we really gonna call it my sexy drawer?” Mac asked breathlessly, mirth and arousal both present in his voice. When Jack just raised an eyebrow and squeezed his wrist imploringly, he said, “I left most of it at home since I figured we’d just be here for the night...” He trailed off, and then a spark lit in his eyes just like it did when he had an idea in the field. “You could use my belt to tie me up. If you wanted to.”

Jack groaned, his hips twitching and grinding their cocks together. “Of course I want to,” he muttered, kissing Mac again, and then he sat up to reach for Mac’s jeans that were on the floor and grabbed the belt. He tossed it on the mattress and got back on top of Mac, pinning him down. “You said you left _most_ if it at home... care to elaborate?”

Mac grinned at him, his eyes still glinting mischievously. “Well,” he murmured. “Maybe you should check _my_ bag now.”

If Jack wasn’t so turned on he would probably be embarrassed about how eagerly he jumped off the bed, Mac’s laugh following him as he started digging through his bag. He made a tiny frustrated noise when all he saw were clothes, but then he moved them around... and found a flogger and a ball gag. He grabbed both items and clambered back on the mattress, making a surprised sound when Mac dragged him in for a kiss before he could do anything else. “How do you want me?” he asked in a whisper, then gasped when Jack rolled him on to his belly, cock dragging against the comforter. “I take it you’ve already got an idea?”

“You could say that,” Jack said lowly, stroking a hand down Mac’s spine before he grabbed his wrists, wrapping the belt around them. “And since we’re using a gag... if you want me to stop, just give me the finger, okay? Both hands, so I know it’s not an accident.”

“Okay,” Mac agreed, looking at Jack over his shoulder. “But I don’t think it’s gonna be necessary. Also...” he started, smirking at Jack and making his heart beat faster. “In case you’re interested in that, I never let Desi use the gag on me. Even though she really wanted to.”

Even though he should be used to the taunting at this point, the idea of Mac with anyone else still made Jack growl. He tightened the belt a little more—just to make Mac feel it, not enough to hurt—and grabbed the gag. “I bet she did,” he said near Mac’s ear, fitting it into his mouth and securing the strap behind his head. “But we’re using it for practical purposes, darlin’. Don’t wanna get kicked out of our fancy hotel for making too much noise.” He picked up the flogger and examined it, noting that it appeared to be handmade out of high-quality suede. He dragged the tendrils of it along Mac’s back, watching him shiver. “Got you right where I want you, baby... but what should I do with you now?”

Mac didn’t reply, obviously, and Jack took a moment to just... look at him, all gagged and bound just for him, a buttplug still in his ass. He couldn’t hold back a low groan and he reached down to wrap his fingers around his own cock, stroking himself slowly, unable to tear his gaze away from Mac. “Shhh, baby,” he murmured when Mac let out a muffled whine, and he pinched his ass, still red from how hard he spanked him earlier.

Thankfully it seemed like the gag worked, although Jack knew if Mac really wanted to he could get it out of his mouth... but the fact that he didn’t want to just turned him on even more. He straddled the backs of Mac’s legs, his weight rendering him completely immobile, and gave him a light strike over his back and bound arms with the flogger. That earned him a low moan obscured by the gag, Mac’s body shifting as much as it could underneath him... and Jack realized just how much fun he could have with this.

He smirked and struck Mac’s ass next, harder since he knew how much he liked it, and was rewarded with louder moan, still muffled by the gag. “Damn, baby, look at you,” Jack murmured, striking Mac’s other ass cheek. “You just love it, don’t you? Bein’ all tied up and at my mercy?” He reached out to fiddle with the buttplug, moving it in circles, loving how Mac’s body twitched. “So good and obedient for me.”

It was interesting to see all the ways Mac reacted to his touch without the sounds spilling from his lips, how he shifted or his hips rock when Jack did something particularly pleasurable. “I was thinking maybe I’ll get you worked up and then I’ll jack myself off until I come all over your back,” he said nonchalantly, watching Mac’s shoulders tense as he pressed down on the buttplug, slowly increasing the pressure and just leaving it there. “Then I won’t need to use that lube to fuck you until you can’t walk.”

Mac whined in protest, his hands clenching in fists, and Jack smirked, giving him another strike over his back with the flogger. “Unless...” He trailed off, his free hand caressing Mac’s ass cheek. “You already know it takes two times to get me off when I’m really turned on... sometimes even three.” Mac let out another muffled, broken moan, and Jack slapped him with his hand, just to make things more interesting. “I could come all over you... and if you’re bein’ a good boy, maybe I’ll be gracious and fuck you.”

Mac nodded his head, making affirmative sounds from behind the gag. Clearly he liked that idea, so Jack tossed the flogger aside and spanked him hard, alternating hands and sides to keep him guessing. Soon Mac was crying out with every strike, muffled sobs reaching Jack’s ears... and that was when he stopped, grabbing his own cock instead. Looking down at Mac’s reddened ass and back was all the motivation he needed to stroke himself, and just like that he was close to the edge.

“Oh fuck,” he groaned, hips twitching into his hand. “You’re so gorgeous like this baby, such a pretty little slut, so good for me.” He picked up the pace, stripping his cock brutally fast, and it didn’t take him too long before he came, spurting all over Mac’s back. “Oh god, _yes_ ,” he groaned loudly, stroking himself a few more times before dropping down to grind his cock between Mac’s asscheeks, riding out his orgasm.

Mac shuddered underneath him, whining when he felt Jack’s come splatter on his sensitive skin. His hips were twitching mindlessly, desperate for some kind of friction, and it was no surprise that Jack stayed rock hard with a sight like that to behold. He shifted enough to spread Mac’s thighs apart and settled between them, pinching the end of the buttplug between his fingers and moving it back and forth in a mimicry of fucking. “You want me to take this out, baby? Want me to fuck you until I come again?”

Mac let out a quiet sob, hips moving faster, and then he whined when Jack pinned them down to the mattress. He didn’t want Mac to accidentally come too soon, so he stopped fucking him with the plug and gripped his hips to yank him up on his knees. This way Mac couldn’t grind on the mattress or do anything else to get himself off.

“I decide if and when you come, baby,” Jack murmured, reaching for the flogger to smack Mac’s ass with it. Mac cried out, moaning when Jack slowly took the plug out, admiring the gorgeous ass right in front of him. “Want me to fuck you until you come?” he asked, smirking when Mac nodded. “But what are we gonna do if you come and I fill you nicely... and stay hard?” Another smack to Mac’s ass. “Guess we’re gonna cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Mac whimpered, eyes squeezed shut and fingers flexing—and while Jack watched carefully to see if he was uncomfortable, he didn’t appear to be. Still, before he did anything else he leaned down to speak next to Mac’s ear: “You good?” He waited until Mac nodded and sat up again, dragging his fingers through the come on Mac’s back and using it as lube to slick his hole further. Jack sunk three fingers into him with ease, twisting and rubbing over his prostate. “God, you’re so wet and open for me. Such a good whore.”

Mac whined, shuddering when Jack pressed his fingers against his prostate and left them there for a moment. He was already stretched and ready for Jack, so after teasing him for a while Jack pulled his fingers out, spanking Mac when he whined at the loss. He grabbed the lube and slicked up his cock, and then knelt between Mac’s legs, pressing the head of his cock against his entrance. He started pushing in and groaned at how _easily_ his cock sank inside Mac, and he stilled once he bottomed out. He made sure the flogger was near him so that he could reach for it anytime he needed to, and then he grabbed the belt that was around Mac’s wrist, reeling the loose end around his hand, and tugged sharply.

Mac made a choked-off sobbing sound and went limp against Jack’s hold when he started thrusting into him. He didn’t go slow or take it easy to start out—no, he slammed his hips forward in a brutal rhythm, pretending he didn’t give a damn whether Mac enjoyed it or not. From the sounds he was making that wasn’t an issue, little broken cries coming out around the ball gag as his hard cock strained against his stomach, desperate for release that Jack didn’t intend to give him... at least not for a while.

“Such a good little slut,” Jack grunted, tugging on the belt again and gripping Mac’s hip with his other hand. “That’s it, take it.”

He pounded into him even harder, making sure he didn’t hit his prostate, not yet. Mac felt amazing around his cock, tight and hot, and the way he clenched around him spurred Jack on even more. This went on for a while, until Jack could hear Mac chanting his name from behind the gag, begging for _something_. Taking his hand off Mac’s hip, Jack grabbed the flogger and whipped him in time with his thrusts, slowing them down just enough that he could strike his prostate at random. Each crack of the flogger combined with the punishing rhythm of Jack’s cock inside his body had Mac gasping and shaking uncontrollably, and Jack dropped the flogger in favor of grabbing Mac’s hair and yanking his head back.

“You wanna come?” he groaned out against Mac’s ear, biting at sensitive skin. “You can... but I’m just gonna keep going, baby. Are you gonna be a good boy and let me fill you up?” Mac nodded as much as he could with Jack gripping his hair, and Jack smirked against his ear. “Excellent,” he murmured, and then straightened up. He kept pounding into Mac and whipping him with the flogger, and it only took a moment longer before Mac came with a shout that was loud even with the gag, and he clenched tightly around Jack’s cock as he spurted all over the his abs and the mattress.

Jack took the gag off so it was easier for Mac to breathe post-orgasm, but other than that everything stayed the same. He whipped him again, harder this time, and didn’t change his pace. Mac made these soft sounds from overstimulation that Jack adored and he yanked on the belt to keep him upright, thrusts getting faster and even rougher the closer he got to his second release. His control was long gone at this point and there was something... primal and animalistic about fucking Mac like that and him just... _taking it_.

“Fuck, baby, yes,” he groaned, whipping Mac again before tossing the flogger aside to smack his ass with his hand, yanking on the belt at the same time. “Such a good slut for me.” Mac was sobbing and shaking, crying out with every smack to his ass and every slam of Jack’s hips, and a few thrusts later Jack came with a loud shout, brutally pounding into Mac and filling him up. Mac whimpered as Jack kept fucking him, his come leaking out around his cock... that was still hard inside him.

“See?” Jack grunted, slowing down and then stilling, still buried inside Mac. “Told you sometimes it takes three times to get me off... so now what?” He grabbed the flogger to whip him again. “You gonna suck me off?”

“If... if that’s what you want,” Mac said slowly, his voice trembling like he’d forgotten how words worked. “Or I could ride you.”

“Fuck, that’s a good idea,” Jack replied, striking him one last time with the flogger before he untied his wrists, pulling out and immediately replacing his cock with the buttplug so all his come stayed inside. “But first you need to get it up again.” He rolled Mac over and hauled him upright so he was straddling Jack’s thighs, his reddened back pressed to Jack’s chest, his cock snug between his ass cheeks. He wrapped his fingers around Mac’s spent cock and stroked him slow and firm, knowing damn well he was sensitive. “So how about I take care of that for you?”

Mac whimpered softly, his body limp against Jack’s chest, and he tilted his head back until he could rest it on Jack’s shoulders. He was making these quiet sounds, staring at the ceiling with wide eyes, and Jack used his free hand to run it up and down Mac’s chest and abs, making even a bigger mess on his body with the come from earlier. He mouthed at Mac’s neck, nipping and sucking on his skin, smiling when Mac just trembled in his arms. “Come on, baby,” he murmured, stroking his soft cock a little faster. “I know you can get it up for me, you’re such a good boy.”

Mac sucked in a ragged breath when he heard those words, his cock twitching in Jack’s hand. “This... this is so good, J-Jack,” he whispered, eyes glazed with pleasure. “Love you so much.”

“I love you too, darlin’,” Jack rasped against his ear, kissing whatever spots he could reach. He kept stroking him until his cock was half hard, then wrapped one arm tight around his waist, his other hand moving to toy with the plug. “We don’t have to keep going if you don’t want to. Just tell me what you need.”

Mac didn’t say anything for a moment and Jack stilled, not wanting to do anything Mac wasn’t okay with. “D-don’t stop, Jack,” he whispered after a moment, his voice shaking. “Don’t stop, p-please.”

“Okay, baby,” Jack murmured, and gripped the plug again, moving it slowly inside Mac, his face buried in Mac’s neck. “You’re so amazing, darlin’, so good for me.” He kept praising him since it seemed to be doing something for Mac, and he closed his eyes, breathing in Mac’s smell mixed with sweat. Mac was still trembling, whimpering when Jack took the plug out and slowly guided him down onto his cock. He _keened_ once Jack was fully inside him, hips rocking and twitching of their own accord. “Shit,” Jack whispered, because despite everything they’d done Mac was tight like a vise around him, squeezing and rippling each time he shifted. “You feel incredible.”

Mac only whined in response and then shifted again, leaning forward a little and putting his hands on Jack’s legs, bracing himself. Jack heard his breath hitch and then Mac started moving again, raising up and dropping down, setting up a pace that had Jack seeing stars and groaning, his hands gripping Mac’s hips hard enough to bruise. The noised falling from Mac’s lips couldn’t really be qualified as human, animalistic grunts and groans that spiked into cries of pleasure whenever Jack’s cock hit his prostate.

Jack could tell it wouldn’t take either of them long to come, not with how wound up they were, and he brought his hand around to stroke Mac’s cock again. “Come on, baby, that’s it. You’re so gorgeous, so good for me, I wanna see you come again.”

Mac cried out brokenly, his movements getting more erratic as he slammed himself down on Jack’s cock. His entire body was trembling and after a moment he came with a high-pitched whine, clenching around Jack impossibly tightly, and once his hips stilled he swayed, and Jack wrapped his arms around him to catch him and make him lean against his chest. He let out a low groan and braced himself on the mattress, and thrust up rapidly, chasing his release as he held Mac’s limp body close.

“Oh fuck, baby,” he groaned, and then he was coming for the third time, filling Mac up again, and now he was done, his cock going soft once he stopped moving. They stayed like that for a moment, boneless and breathing hard. Then Jack grasped Mac’s hips gently and lifted him enough to pull out, come dripping liberally out of his used hole. “They got a fancy tub in this place?” he asked, and when Mac nodded Jack got his shit together and climbed off the bed, lifting Mac into his arms and carrying him into the bathroom.

Sure enough, there was a huge tub there, and he turned on the water with one hand. He sat down on a small bench in the bathroom, cuddling Mac close while they waited for the tub to fill. Mac wasn’t saying anything, in fact he seemed barely conscious, and Jack swallowed down the guilt, wondering if maybe he took things too far, but he let Mac rest for now. Once their bath was ready Jack turned off the water and gently put Mac inside, holding him up with his hand and sliding behind him, spreading his legs for Mac to settle between them, resting against his chest.

As soon as Jack’s arms wrapped around him Mac sighed and cuddled closer, face pushed into the side of Jack’s neck. “Oh, this is nice,” he mumbled, hands curling around Jack’s forearms like he was afraid he was going to go somewhere. He nuzzled Jack’s jaw with his nose, making a questioning sound. “You okay?”

“Yeah, of course I am,” Jack said quietly, hugging Mac as tightly as he dared. “Are _you_?” he asked, and pressed a kiss to Mac’s forehead. “I didn’t... what we did, it wasn’t... too much?”

“What? I’m fine,” Mac said, his brows furrowing until there was a cute little line between them. He leaned back enough to look Jack in the eye, one of his hands lifting to touch his cheek. “It was perfect, _you_ were perfect. I... it felt incredible to just... give myself over to you like that.”

“I can’t believe you trust me enough for that,” Jack whispered, turning his head to kiss Mac’s fingers. “I don’t think I deserve it, but...” He swallowed hard, squeezing Mac a little tighter. “I’ll do my best to be deserving of it, you know? Every single day.”

Mac leaned in and pressed a smile against Jack’s cheek, kissing his skin a second later. “You’re the best person I know, babe. But I’m not gonna complain if you wanna spend as much time with me as possible.” He stifled a yawn. “I gotta say, you wore me out. Hope you’re not expecting much more than eating and sleeping after this.”

Jack felt something warm swell in his chest and he couldn’t help but smile. “That’s more than fine, baby,” he murmured. “Eating junk food in bed and cuddling the shit outta you sounds heavenly right now.” He paused. “Is it bad that I’m feeling very smug about wearing you out?”

Mac chuckled, pinching his arm. “Don’t get cocky,” he muttered, and they fell quiet for a while, soaking in the warm water.

Once they started getting pruned Jack drained the tub and got them out, and they put on robes from the hotel before going back out into the room. He stripped the dirtied top comforter off and then crawled on the bed, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV to get a look at the room service menu. “What sounds good, darlin’? Want some champagne?”

“Champagne?” Mac asked with raised eyebrows, also getting on the bed and immediately lying down. “You know what, go for it. We sure as hell earned it.”

“By having fantastic sex or getting Dez and Riles together?” Jack asked, chuckling a little.

“Both,” Mac mumbled. “Also, get me a burger. The biggest one they have.”

“You got it, baby.” Jack put in their order, even remembering to get dessert. “Hey, check your phone, see if we missed anything.”

“You mean besides death threats?” Mac joked, but he reached down to the floor and got his phone out of his pants.

He grinned a moment later, turning it around to show Jack his text chain with Desi, which now included a picture of her kissing Riley on the cheek. The message below it was two words, perfect in their simplicity: **Thank you.**

“Hell yeah!” Jack exclaimed, grinning so widely his face hurt. “We kinda knew that already, but it’s so nice to have proof that our plan actually worked.”

“Thank god,” Mac muttered. “Otherwise we would be so dead. I’m still convinced they’re not gonna try to get back at us for scheming.” His eyes widened. “Oh god, Riley will erase me from existence when she finds out I went through her phone.” As if on cue, Mac’s phone rang in his hand and he yelped, tossing it in Jack’s direction.

Jack grabbed it out of the air and when he saw it was Riley, he answered and put it on speaker. “Hey, darlin’. I take it things are goin’ well?”

“Things are great,” Riley said, her voice a little _too_ cheerful. “Or they were until I got to thinking about how you two figured out that I’m bisexual. So Mac, exactly how much time did you spend in my phone?”

Mac made a tiny, panicked noise, his eyes huge, and Jack sighed. “Cut him some slack, baby girl,” he said, patting Mac’s hip. “It was actually my idea, so if you wanna be mad at anyone, be mad at me.” He smiled a little. “It was also me who stole your phone, so.”

Evidently Riley had her phone on speaker too, because Desi cackled. “Oh that’s just too good!” When her laughter faded her voice went deadly serious. “But Mac and I need to discuss what _keeping a secret_ means.”

“I only told Jack!” Mac protested, looping both of his arms through Jack’s and resting his head on his shoulder. “And I only did _that_ to get him to help me!”

Jack looked at him incredulously. “Setting them up was my idea!” he exclaimed, and more laughing on the line followed, so maybe Desi wouldn’t kill them after all. “That I came up with _after_ you told me!”

Mac lifted his head to glare at him and then stuck his tongue out before putting his head back on his shoulder. “Details,” he muttered. “Dez, I figured Jack didn’t count when you told me not to tell anyone.”

“That’s a fair assumption,” Riley commented, and Desi made a disbelieving sound. “What? They’re codependent, everyone knows that.”

“Hey now, you say that like it’s a bad thing,” Jack said, his arm sliding around Mac’s shoulders to hold him closer. “We might be codependent, but we get our jobs done.”

“That’s right, you’ll be coming back to work,” Desi mused, a mischievous note in her voice that Jack didn’t like at all. “It’d be a shame if you got shot on the job, Dalton.”

“If you shoot Jack, I’ll burn your movie collection,” Mac mumbled, and Jack’s heart fluttered. “Including _that_ one movie... and let me just remind you that I kept that secret so far and I didn’t tell anyone what your actual favorite movie is.” He paused and then grinned. “For now.”

Desi was silent for a moment. “Fine. But I swear to god, if you _ever_ tell anyone, I’ll—”

“It can’t be _that_ bad,” Riley interjected, sounding intrigued. “What is it?”

“I’m not telling you! It’s a secret!” Desi exclaimed, making an indignant sound when Jack laughed. “Shut _up_ , Dalton!”

“Sorry, Dez,” he wheezed, pressing his cheek against Mac’s hair. “Talk soon, okay?” They hung up, and Jack tosses Mac’s phone on the nightstand before wrapping him up in a hug. “That was a close one.”

“Mhmm, agreed,” Mac hummed, snuggling even closer, and he was the most adorable thing Jack had ever seen. “Good think we have some blackmail material, otherwise we would be dead.”

“True,” Jack chuckled, and kissed the top of Mac’s head. “So... what’s Desi’s favorite movie?”

“ _Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants_ ,” Mac said, tipping his head back to look at Jack with one eyebrow quirked. “I’ve seen it twice now, and it’s surprisingly wholesome.”

“Huh,” Jack said, rubbing a hand up and down Mac’s back through the robe. “That’s... not as bad as I thought it would be.” He paused. “Hey, did you ever show her those X-Men movies with that actor that looks like you?”

“No,” Mac groaned, and buried his face back in Jack’s neck. “And he _doesn’t_ look like me, you’re crazy.”

“Crazy for you, maybe,” Jack replied cheekily, laughing when Mac punched his chest lightly. “Seriously, though, baby,” he murmured, nuzzling Mac’s temple. “I know I said it already, but I love you. So much.”

“I love you too,” Mac whispered, turning his head so he could catch Jack’s lips with his own. It was a sweet kiss that ended with Mac hugging him close, sighing as he returned his face to Jack’s neck. “And I can’t wait to work with you again. It finally feels like everything’s back to normal... only better.”

“Yeah, I could use some normal,” Jack said quietly, the words out of his throat before he could stop them, so now he had to continue. “We already established that I’m not... exactly okay and that the past two years were hell.” He sighed. “It’s gonna take me a minute to get my head on straight.”

Mac kissed his cheek, close enough that when he blinked his eyelashes moved against Jack’s stubble. “That’s okay, Jack. I don’t expect you to just bounce back from something like that, and neither does anyone else.” He hesitated. “If you don’t want to work in the field right away, I’m sure Matty would mind an extra set of hands in the war room. Technically my dad doesn’t work for the Phoenix anymore, so...”

“I’m sure Taylor will want to bring him back,” Jack said. “And maybe... maybe it’s not such a bad idea, although...” He hesitated. “I’m not sure I’d be able to just... stand by and be stuck in the war room while you’re runnin’ around and bein’ in danger.” He sighed. “I know you’ve been doin’ it without me for two years, but... it’ll be hard to get used to.”

“It doesn’t have to be forever, just until you’re cleared for field work and you feel like you can come back,” Mac said, his fingers tracing absent patterns against Jack’s chest where the two halves of the robe didn’t quite meet. “In the meantime I can keep working with Desi, that’s not a problem. Although if I get caught in a lovers’ quarrel between her and Riley I might tap out and ask you for help.”

Jack laughed quietly. “Oh yeah, if that happens it ain’t gonna be pretty.” He shivered under Mac’s touch, but he knew Mac wasn’t trying to start anything—they were both too exhausted for that. “But if it does I’m gonna step in and rescue you.”

Mac smiled. “Of course you will,” he murmured, total confidence in his voice... in _Jack_. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.” He went quiet for a moment. “I hope the food gets here soon. I don’t want to have to eat you in a way that’s not fun, but I’m starving.”

“If you eat me, who’s gonna rescue you?” Jack wondered, closing his eyes and trying to figure out how the hell he managed to get so lucky. “I’m sure the food will be here any minute now.” As if summoned there was a knock on the door, so Jack untangled himself from Mac and got up. Sure enough it was the room service, and Jack laughed when Mac immediately sat up when he wheeled the cart with food closer to the bed. “Easy, baby,” Jack said, when Mac all but lunged at his burger. “Don’t choke.”

Mac made eye contact while he took a huge bite out of his burger, chewing thoroughly. He licked some sauce off his thumb with a deliberate flick of his tongue, then deadpanned, “That’s not what you said when I had your dick in my mouth.”

Jack barked out a startled laugh and nearly squirted ketchup all over the bed instead of on his french fries. He never expected Mac to talk so... casually about sex, but it was a pleasant surprise. “No, I guess I didn’t. You’ve got me there, dude.”

Mac grinned at him, that sunshine smile that Jack loved so much... and only had ever seen directed at himself, now that he thought about it. He took another bite of his burger, not caring about the sauce getting all over his chin, and it only made Jack love him even more... until Mac stole one of his fries. “Hey, man!” Jack exclaimed, shielding the fries with his body. “You’ve got your own!”

“But where the fun in that?” Mac asked with that huge grin. “How’s your steak?”

“It’s fantastic,” Jack said, taking another bite to prove his point. “Not as good as Texas, mind you, but—”

“Yes, Jack, nothing in LA is ever as good as it is in Texas,” Mac interjected, rolling his eyes but continuing to smile. “Pretty sure I’ve heard that proclamation before.” He paused. “Speaking of Texas... maybe we could go visit your family, if you’re not ready to go back to work yet? Take the gang and make it a vacation?”

Jack squinted at him, staring for a moment... before he pointed at Mac with his fork. “You’ve been talkin’ to Mama, haven’t you?”

“She was worried!” Mac exclaimed around a mouthful of burger. “And so was I, so we... bonded. We talked at least once a week.”

“Yeah, like you two needed extra bonding,” Jack grumbled, but internally his heart was racing. “Mama loves you. I’m pretty sure she would trade me for you if she got a chance.”

“Well, now that we’re together she doesn’t have to,” Mac reasoned, eating some more fries—from his own plate this time. “So what do you think?”

“I think it’s a good idea,” Jack said, taking a sip off his champagne. He ordered the expensive stuff, so it practically melted on his tongue. “Pretty sure Taylor’s never been to Texas, let alone been on a ranch... that could be fun to watch.”

Mac’s entire face lit up and his eyes glinted mischievously. “You could tell your brother to take Russ with him when he cleans up the barns. I’m sure Juan would love to have some fun with that.”

“Now you’re talkin’,” Jack said, already imagining Taylor cursing and running around. “You have the best ideas, baby.”

Mac smiled at him and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Of course I do,” he said softly, emotion lacing the words. He looked at Jack with those big blue eyes, and in them he saw limitless possibilities. “I picked you, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, you did,” Jack replied, kissing him on the mouth this time, unable to resist when he was so close. “And I’m never gonna stop being grateful for that.”


End file.
